Something's Coming
by IThinkILeftMyCoatOutside
Summary: When childhood friends Kurt and Blaine are seperated, it seems as if they will never see each other again. 16 years later and now 25, Kurt is living in New York with Rachel and Finn, and Something's Coming... but what, or who, could it be?
1. Moving Away

"Blaine, no." Kurt gave the dark-haired boy a stern look, holding up his hands in defence and backing away across the lawn slowly. "I'm warning you, Anderson." Blaine grinned even wider, the mischievous glint in his eye making Kurt's heart beat faster. Kurt looked from Blaine's face to the water balloon held above his head, preparing for fire, and then back to Blaine's face.

For each step Kurt took backwards, Blaine took another forward, until Kurt felt his back press up against the wall of the house. His heart pounded in his chest, and he shut his eyes tightly as Blaine closed in for the kill.

* * *

Burt watched from the window as his nine year old son chased his friend around the garden, his hair and face dripping wet from the water balloon that had just been thrown at him. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, happy that his son had a friend with whom he could spend his summer chasing and playing with.

Since the death of his mother, Kurt had been shy and reserved, but Blaine Anderson, the boy across the street, had made him become the animated little boy he used to be again, and Burt was happy for it. It had only been a year since the death of Elizabeth, Burt's wife and the mother of his son, but Burt didn't want it to stop Kurt from living his life and he knew that Elizabeth would have felt the same way.

Burt took a sip of coffee from his mug and turned away from the window.

"The boys are getting really close, now," He said to Blaine's parents, Aileen and Dennis, who were nursing their own cups of coffee on the kitchen table. "It's great to see Kurt playing like a little boy again. When his mom died, it really affected him, y'know? I mean, of course it would, the boy lost his mom but-"

"We're moving to New York." Aileen blurted out, unable to ignore her guilt whilst listening to Burt praise her son in such a high way.

Burt stared at her in shock. How could they be moving away? Had he heard her correctly? They had only been living here for just under a year, and they were all starting to become good friends. They had moved in across the street the week before Elizabeth had died, and they had helped Burt to get his life back on track for Kurt. Blaine had also taken on the role of Kurt's protector; being Kurt's only close friend, Blaine had defended him from the bullies at school and had been attached to him at the hip, only leaving his side when his mother called him in for tea or bed.

Burt looked to Dennis, but he wouldn't meet his eye. Silence fell upon the kitchen, the sound of the children's laughter emanating from the garden making it even harder for the three adults to bear. Burt wasn't so worried about losing Aileen and Dennis, after all he had only known them for just under a year and, sure, they were more adult company for him whenever raising Kurt single-handedly became a bit too heavy on his shoulders, but he was more concerned about how Kurt would take the news.

"Blaine doesn't know yet," Aileen broke the silence, silent tears beginning to roll down her cheek. "We're telling him tonight."

"And we'd prefer it if you didn't tell Kurt yet," Dennis added, putting his arm around his wife. Burt missed being able to do that. "Let Blaine tell him. It might be easier for him to understand, hearing it from another child."

"No." Burt said, shaking his head. "Kurt's not like that. He'll understand it better if it comes from me."

"Burt-"

"No! I know my son better than you ever will. We've been through hell and back since Lizzie died, and if he's got to go through anything close to that again, _I_ am going to help him through it. I am not going to let some kid explain to my son that he'll probably never see him again! No, you can go to hell before I let you tell me what I can and cannot tell my son." Burt breathed heavily, catching his breath from his short rant. Aileen and Dennis look absolutely terrified, and Burt wondered why – he'd barely raised his voice.

That was until he heard the small voice behind him that sent a shiver down his spine.

* * *

"Dad?" Kurt stood in the doorway, Blaine beside him, tears in his eyes. He watched his father slowly turn around to face him, and wondered why he seemed to be angry at Aileen and Dennis. But he didn't stop to ask.

Instead, he slowly rolled up his trouser leg to show him the cut on his left knee. "I fell," Kurt explained as Burt came over to him to take a closer look. "I was chasing Blaine, and I tripped over the tree at the bottom of the garden." Blaine, who was looking slightly sheepish, took Kurt's hand in his.

"I'm sorry for making you chase me, Kurt." He said in a voice that was almost a whisper. "If I hadn't thrown that water balloon at you, you wouldn't have had to chase me."

"Blaine, sweetie, this wasn't your fault," Aileen soothed her son, coming over and wrapping him up in a hug. Burt noticed, just before he went to get a band aid for his son, that even when Blaine hugged his mother, he still held on to Kurt's hand.

Burt knew his son was… different. He was more interested in Barbie dolls and the colour pink than any of the boys in his class at school, and Burt knew that this didn't make him gay, but he knew that wearing his mother's old necklaces and high heels was a sure indicator that Kurt was different.

* * *

Half an hour later, Kurt's knee was patched up with a colourful yellow and blue band aid, and he and Blaine were happily watching cartoons and colouring in the living room.

Burt, Aileen and Dennis were all in the kitchen still, discussing how they were going to explain to their children that they weren't going to be living across the street from each other anymore.

They decided to do it the way Aileen and Dennis wanted; they would tell Blaine in the morning and, no doubt, he would come straight over to tell Kurt.


	2. Goodbye

_Forgot to mention this last time, but this is rated M for later on. It annoys me when people say this but I am intending for there to be a little… intimacy later on._

_So here's the second instalment of Something's Coming. A few friends of mine who have read this over for me said they got a little emotional towards the end, so I guess that can act as a bit of a warning._

* * *

"Kurt!" Burt was stood in the kitchen making breakfast when Blaine's voice called out from the other side of the front door. "Kurt! I need to tell you something!"

A second later, Burt followed the patter of footsteps as they ran from Kurt's room, down the stairs and straight to the front door. He heard the door creak open and Kurt happily greeting his friend, and felt his heart wrench as Blaine told him the bombshell that had been dropped on him that morning.

* * *

Kurt jumped out of bed when he heard Blaine's voice downstairs and ran as fast as his legs would allow him. He almost ran straight into the front door, he was running so fast.

"Blaine!" He exclaimed happily at seeing his friend, smiling widely. "Have you come over for breakfast?" But Blaine wasn't smiling. He looked upset. Kurt didn't like seeing his friend upset. "What's wrong, Blaine?"

"Kurt, can I come in?" Blaine was looking at the floor. Something bad had happened, Kurt knew it. He stood aside and held the door open, and Blaine walked in. Whatever it was, it must have been important because Blaine wasn't wearing shoes. He had come over in his socks, and he was looking rather scruffy, like he hadn't had time to brush his hair before he came over. Kurt wondered how anyone could go anywhere without brushing their hair, but then turned his thoughts back to Blaine, who was now sat quietly on the bottom step of the stairs.

"Kurt, come and sit with me."

Kurt quietly sat on the step, remembering how his father had said that to him before he explained that Mommy wasn't coming home anymore. Blaine held his hand out, palm up, and Kurt quietly took it.

"Blaine," He said quietly. "What's wrong? You're starting to worry me."

"I'm moving house." Blaine whispered quietly after a long pause. It took Kurt a few seconds to realise what this meant; they weren't going to be able to use their secret walkie talkies to have chats after bedtimes anymore, and they wouldn't be able to do their homework together or go round to each other's houses after school anymore.

"Where to?" Kurt asked, his mouth going dry and his eyes beginning to sting.

"New York." Blaine mumbled, "Dad got a promotion."

Kurt's heart stopped. New York was… Well, New York was a long way away from Ohio. In under a year, Kurt had lost his mom and now he was losing his best friend. He held onto Blaine's hand tighter, and Blaine gripped his hand back in reply.

It would have seemed to the outside world that the two boys were sat in silence taking in the news, but there was a secret conversation going on between them. They were supporting each other, but they were also telling each other how much they were going to miss the other.

* * *

They must have been sat together for at least ten minutes before Burt came in, a tea towel draped over his shoulder.

"Morning, Blaine." He said, pretending that he hadn't heard or didn't know what the boys had been talking about. "Fancy some breakfast?"

But the boys sat in silence, still holding hands tightly. There was a long pause before anyone spoke, and it was Kurt's soft voice that broke the silence.

"Blaine's moving away, Dad." He said, looking up at Burt with big eyes, tears spilling over the sides and rolling down his cheeks. Burt sighed with a heavy heart; he couldn't let either of the boys know that he had known for half a day longer than them, and that he had lost hours of sleep the night before worrying about how Kurt would take the news.

"Do you know when you're moving, Blaine?" Burt slowly walked over and leant against the banister of the stairs, folding his arms across his chest.

"Tomorrow." Blaine mumbled, still looking at the floor.

In synchronisation, both Kurt and Burt stared at the young dark-haired boy in disbelief.

* * *

Kurt and Blaine had spent the rest of the day together whilst Aileen and Dennis packed up their house into boxes, but it still didn't ease Kurt's heartache watching Blaine leave the next day. He stood at the end of the garden path, right next to the mailbox, and waved until his arm felt like it was going to fall off.

He stood looking down the road, staring at the point where Blaine's car had disappeared, for hours. There was nothing Burt could do to get him to come inside. In the end, he went out and stood next to his son, and placed a large hand softly on his shoulder.

"Why do I keep losing people, Dad?" Kurt asked, his voice breaking slightly.

"What do you mean, kiddo?" Burt knelt down next to Kurt and turned his son to face him. "You haven't lost me."

"I know," He replied, smiling weakly. "But I lost Mom. And now I've lost Blaine, too." He looked at the floor and scuffed his shoe against the pavement. "Am I not nice to be around?"

Burt's heart broke in two. He tilted Kurt's chin up and looked him in the eye. "You are _wonderful_ to be around. Definitely the best friend I've ever had."

"I thought you said Mom was the best friend you'd ever had." Kurt mumbled, looking back at the floor.

Burt was close to tears now, but he swallowed hard and pushed on. "You're joint best."

Kurt smiled weakly, and a tear rolled down his cheek. Burt pulled out his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped it away. He then stood slowly and took Kurt's hand in his.

"Come on, kid. Let's go inside."

And together, father and son walked back towards their house hand in hand, where behind closed doors, Burt would be drying Kurt's tears for another three days.


	3. 16 Years Later

_16 years later_

"Kurt!"

Kurt closed his eyes tightly and groaned, not wanting to wake up quite just yet. He had been sleeping peacefully and was just in the middle of one of the best dreams he had ever had (he was performing 'Something's Coming' on opening night of 'West Wide Story'), and it was just a little too early for the beckoning voice of Rachel Berry calling to him from the kitchen in the apartment they shared in New York. They had been living together for nearly four years now, since they had graduated high school and gone through NYADA together. They lived in a moderately sized, three-bedroomed apartment in a block of flats that bordered a small green, which Kurt would often go down to and relax whenever Rachel was starting to push her luck.

"Kurt! Kurt, open this door, right now! I have something important to tell you."

Kurt groaned again. Rachel was now banging against his door and rattling the door handle in aggravation. Kurt smiled to himself, relieved that he'd remembered to get Finn to mount a lock on his door for him. The first month of moving in with Rachel had been full of late-night-idea talks and early-morning singing practices, and she hadn't been bothered about just walking into his room without his permission. Just because they had been best friends all through high school, it didn't mean that Kurt wasn't grateful to have his own private space from her every now and again.

"KURT!" Rachel's harsh tone was something to fear, even on the other side of the wood.

Kurt's eyes snapped open and he practically jumped out of bed, suddenly wide awake. He didn't know what could be so important that it meant having to wake Kurt on a Sunday morning – the one day Rachel had been given strict instructions to leave him alone on.

'Sunday's are rest days,' he had told her on numerous occasions, 'and they are _not_ to be awoken early on.'

"What do you want, Rachel?" Kurt grumbled moodily as he slowly unlocked the door. He glanced over at his alarm clock on his bedside table, and saw that it was 11:27am. Rachel had probably been up for around five and a half hours already, and Kurt was surprised that he hadn't been woken up sooner. He opened the door a crack and looked through it to see Rachel's face right in front of him, making him jump back slightly.

"What do you _want_, Rachel?" Kurt repeated, this time through gritted teeth. But instead of replying, she burst into his room, pushing him back onto his bed and letting his door fly wide open, knocking against his wardrobe and leaving the tiniest of dents. But still, Kurt noticed it, and it got on his last, short nerve.

"RACHEL!" Kurt stood and stamped his foot on the floor, making Rachel stop short of whatever she was saying. Kurt hadn't even noticed her high-pitched gibbering before, but now that he'd realised that she was obviously happy about something, and wanted to tell him about it, he felt a deep sense of regret.

"I'm sorry, Rachel." He sighed, rubbing his temples in circular motions and slowly sitting down on his bed again. Rachel was stood by his window with an expression of shock on her face, the morning light shining on her features and making her hair shimmer golden brown when she slowly sat down on Kurt's bed.

It was only now, when he was watching her in the sunlight in his room, that Kurt realised that Rachel was wearing her red coat, black beret and black boots. _She must have gone out while I was asleep_, thought Kurt, _probably to get the groceries or something. But… why is she _still_ wearing her coat? And what could have happened at the supermarket that is so goddamn interesting?_

Kurt regained his composure, and looked over to his best friend. He smiled at her, and she smiled, a little uneasily, back at him.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" Kurt patted the bed beside him, inviting her to come and sit next to him. Rachel jumped up and bounced down next to him, making them both laugh slightly as the mattress springs made them both bounce.

"Okay, so, don't freak out, okay?" Rachel turned to him, her grin returning and her eyes lighting up once more. Kurt watched her closely, raised his eyebrow and smiled in a way that said, '_Go on…_'

Rachel let out a small squeak of excitement, and flashed her hand in front of Kurt's face. Kurt jumped back to avoid getting slapped, and tried to focus on the glinting that appeared to be emanating from somewhere within the blur that was Rachel Berry's left hand. In frustration, Kurt grasped Rachel's wrist and inspected her hand more closely.

As Kurt took in all 1.25 carats of diamond that was sat on Rachel's ring finger, he started to put the pieces of that morning together…

Rachel had been out with Finn, her long-term boyfriend, last night, and Kurt remembered that she hadn't come home, either. And then, this morning, still in her coat and boots, she had pounded on his door so hard that Kurt was sure there was an imprint of her fist in it, until he had let her in. She had then proceeded to twitter along happily around his room, most likely giving him all the details of the night before, and now she was presenting him with a diamond engagement ring smacked on her finger.

Rachel Berry was going to marry Finn Hudson.

In the space of exactly six seconds, Kurt went through shock, amazement, delight, confusion, anger and dread. His shock, amazement and delight were all positive reactions to the news, and he enveloped Rachel in a tight hug. He was confused, and angry, as to why Finn hadn't confided in him that he was planning on proposing to his best friend and roommate. And the dread, well, he was going to have to deal with Rachel Berry on wedding-planner mode, and he was _not _looking forward to it.

* * *

"Wine!" Kurt exclaimed as he ran from his bedroom to the kitchen, pulling Rachel along by the hand. "We need wine! We have to celebrate this!" Rachel was laughing as he twirled her around in the kitchen, and when she opened the cupboard to get two glasses out, Kurt pulled her away and sat her down at the table. "No, Miss Berry. We are celebrating you! So, you just sit there and look beautiful like you always do and let me get the wine – Ooh, champagne!" Kurt exclaimed as he found a bottle of champagne left over from Christmas hidden at the back of the cupboard where the alcohol was kept.

He brought the champagne, and two glasses, over to the table, handed a glass to Rachel and set his own down in front of him. He popped the cork on the champagne bottle, relishing the loud 'pop' it made, and made sure he didn't aim for the lights above the table. The champagne bubbled out of the neck of the bottle and overflowed onto Kurt's hand, down the bottle and onto the floor. Luckily, the kitchen floor was tiled and so any spilt champagne could easily be cleaned up later. Kurt poured champagne into both glasses and placed the bottle down.

"To Rachel and Finn, even though he's not here." Kurt raised his glass as he made his toast, and Rachel laughed as they clinked their glasses together. "So," Kurt began as he sat down at the table next to Rachel. "How did he do it?"

"Oh, Kurt! It was so romantic!" Rachel began. "He took me out to Breadstix, which I know doesn't _sound_ romantic but it _totally_ was, and we had a really amazing dinner, and then Finn took me to see _Wicked_, and he even learnt some of the songs so that he could sing along with me!" Kurt raised his eyebrows at Finn's dedication. He really must love Rachel, as he had often expressed his distaste of musicals whenever Kurt had been talking about going to see one. "And then," Rachel continued. "We went back to his as he said he had bought me a gift and he wanted to give it to me in private, and then he proposed!" Rachel squeaked in excitement again and gazed at her ring lovingly. "I didn't want to leave this morning, but Finn insisted I came home and told you." She said, still staring at her ring. She then looked up at Kurt, then at the clock, and then back to Kurt.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked, turning to look at the clock on the wall. "Has the clock stopped again?"

No." Rachel replied. "Finn's coming round at half twelve, I forgot to tell you."

"Oh, thank God! I thought something dreadful was happening!" Kurt laughed, topping up his glass with champagne and sitting back in his chair. If Finn wasn't coming until twelve thirty, that left him and Rachel 40 minutes to discuss wedding details. But Rachel wasn't smiling; she was looking at Kurt uneasily and biting her lip. Kurt stared back at her, suddenly terrified. "What's wrong?"

"Kurt, you know I love you no matter what and we have lived together for years and so I have seen you plenty of times on a Sunday morning-"

"Rachel…" Kurt's heart was pounding quicker and quicker by the second.

Rachel leant forward, took Kurt's hand in hers and whispered "You look a mess. And you still have bed hair."

As soon as the words were uttered, Kurt ran to his room and his door slammed shut. Rachel smiled to herself and slowly walked over to Kurt's bedroom door. She knocked lightly this time, and found that, in his haste, Kurt had forgotten to lock his door. She walked in slowly to find Kurt sat at his dressing table brushing his hair, his hair wax and beauty products all laid out ready in front of him. She smiled again, and then slowly shut the door behind her, leaving Kurt to his skin regime.


	4. We Have To Celebrate!

**Shorter chapter this time round, guys. Please don't forget to review - I'd love to know what you guys think of this story so far! Coatsy xx**

* * *

"So, where's Kurt?" Finn asked, looking around as he sat down at the kitchen table. Twelve thirty had rolled around, but Finn had arrived twenty minutes late. So where _was_ Kurt? Normally he'd be out of his room by now, even when he had serious bed hair.

"In his room, I think," Rachel replied, getting a third glass down from the cupboard and pouring some champagne for Finn. "But he's been in there for nearly an hour." She sat opposite her fiancé and took a sip of her own glass of champagne, slightly concerned and befuddled.

"So?" Finn smiled across the table. "Doesn't he normally take that long getting ready?" He took another sip of champagne, inspected the glass, and then swallowed the whole lot in one gulp.

"Not normally _over_ an hour," Rachel replied, nursing her glass rather than drinking from it. "I better make sure he's okay-"

"No need to, Miss Berry, I am perfectly fine." Kurt's voice called out from the corridor, and then he appeared in the doorway, perfectly fresh faced and smiling. He had completely changed his outfit; he was now wearing a white collared shirt under a black waistcoat with a pair of sleek black trousers, a thin grey scarf looped loosely about his neck.

Kurt almost leapt on Finn, causing him to nearly drop his glass. He rapidly put his glass down and balanced himself by holding onto the table; Kurt's sudden embrace had pushed him backwards, and Finn was now teetering on the back two legs of his chair.

"You dog, you!" Kurt exclaimed into Finn's shoulder. Finn gave a confused look to Rachel, but she shrugged in reply. Kurt then held Finn at arm's length and was beaming brightly at him before letting him go, causing Finn to rock back onto all four legs of his chair.

"Why didn't you tell me you were proposing?" Kurt playfully slapped Finn's shoulder, and Finn laughed nervously. The two boys were close friends now, but Finn never knew how to act around Kurt.

He was so different to all of his other guy friends; Puck, for example, was a total babe magnet and was never without a woman by his side. Mike was an incredible dancer, and before he met his girlfriend Tina, he was always going home with a pocket full of phone numbers. Kurt, however, was… Well, Kurt was _gay_, and Finn had never known how to deal with it. Obviously, he had never let it be a reason to dislike Kurt, but without the conversation starters of girls and football, Finn was often roped into conversations about celebrity gossip. Luckily, Rachel kept him up to date with that anyway and so he at least understood who Kurt was talking about.

"I, erm," Finn blushed, unsure of his answer. He looked to Rachel who was smiling, but equally as interested as Kurt was about his answer. "I didn't really tell anyone. Apart from Hiram and LeRoy, of course." Finn gestured to Rachel upon suggesting her dads, and then looked back to Kurt, who was looking a little confused.

"So, you came up with the whole idea by yourself?" He enquired, eyeing Finn closely.

"Yes." Finn answered, slightly nervous about the sudden interrogation.

"No-one helped you plan it? No-one gave you the idea for _Wicked_ or Breadstix or anything?" Kurt didn't seem to be able to comprehend a proposal that hadn't been planned in excruciating detail, and it took all of Finn's patience to explain to him that he had done it all by himself within two weeks of deciding to do it.

"Kurt, I did it all by myself." He stated, looking Kurt in the eye. Kurt narrowed his eyes and pouted slightly, trying to decipher whether Finn could possibly have done it by himself.

"Kurt, leave him be." Rachel chuckled from across the table. She reached out and took Finn's hand in hers and smiled at him. "All that matters now is that we are engaged," Finn smiled back and squeezed her hand gently. "And we have a wedding to plan." She gave Kurt a meaningful look, and he laughed.

"Okay, okay," Kurt chuckled, raising his hands slightly in defence. "First thing's first; how are we going to celebrate?"

"Celebrate what?" Finn asked, bemused as to what Kurt was changing the topic to.

"Your engagement, silly!" Kurt laughed, slapping Finn's shoulder light-heartedly, but Finn still looked confused. "You know, how you gave Rachel that rock of a ring and asked her to marry you? That's an engagement, Finn."

"I know we're engaged, Kurt," Finn replied, slightly annoyed by Kurt's sarcasm. "But, I thought we were celebrating it, like, now?" He gestured to the glasses and the bottle of champagne, but Kurt stared blankly at him.

"Well, yes," He stated rather sarcastically. "But we need to _celebrate_. We should go out tonight!" Kurt turned excitedly to Rachel, clapping his hands lightly by his chest.

Rachel's face lit up and the two started to babble happily about where they could go in New York to celebrate. Finn caught phrases like 'shopping spree' and 'Jazz at the Metro Room' and '200 Fifth', and poured himself another glass of champagne, dreading the thought of what he could be doing that evening.

All of a sudden, Rachel and Kurt both gasped and then began to whisper excitedly, occasionally glancing at Finn. Now more alert as he seemed to be the topic of conversation, Finn sat up straight and leant across the table, trying to catch a glimpse of what his fiancé and her best friend had in store for him.

Rachel and Kurt turned to him and sat smiling widely, obviously ecstatic with themselves for having coming up with a 'perfect' idea. Finn looked from Rachel to Kurt and back to Rachel waiting for an answer, before giving in.

"Okay," He sighed heavily. "What are we doing to celebrate?"

Rachel and Kurt exchanged glances before turning back to Finn.

"West Side Story." They stated in synchronisation, before giggling at each other in surprise at speaking in time.

"Haven't you guys seen that, like, hundreds of times?" Finn asked.

"Well, that depends," Kurt replied. "Are we talking DVD viewings or Broadway? Because if you're talking Broadway, then the current tally is sixteen. But, if we're including DVD viewings, then, yeah, the number is in the hundreds somewhere."

"Right," Finn stated. "So why are you going to see it again?"

"We're not going for us-" Rachel started before being interrupted by Kurt clearing his throat. "Okay, so we _are_ still going for us, but this time it's more for you." She smiled, squeezing Finn's hand softly.

"Yes," Kurt added. "You need to be introduced to the magical experience that is West Side Story if you are intent on marrying my Berry." He put his arm protectively around Rachel, who laughed at his veiled threat.

"Kurt, I won't break up with him for not seeing West Side Story!"

"No," Kurt smiled before turning serious. "But I will." He looked Rachel in the eye, holding his serious expression for as long as possible, before the two of them burst out laughing.

"Okay then," Finn mumbled to himself, taking another sip of champagne. "West Side Story it is, then."


	5. West Side Story

**Another longer chapter today :) Personally, this is my favourite chapter so far! Don't forget to review! Coatsy xx**

* * *

"What about… this one?" Rachel asked Kurt, pulling a sleek black dress out of her wardrobe. Kurt was sat on her bed, his left leg crossed over his right, inspecting every single outfit she pulled out for him. He scrutinised the dress before shaking his head.

"No way, Rachel!" He exclaimed, looking at Rachel in shock. "That's the dress you wore to Buddy Leibowitz's funeral. You are _not_ wearing that dress to celebrate your engagement!"

Rachel looked at the dress in shock, remembering how she and Kurt had attended Buddy Leibowitz's funeral two years earlier. Buddy Leibowitz had been their upstairs neighbour for the first two years of them living in New York. He had introduced himself to Kurt and Rachel three days after they had moved in, and offered to take them out in New York. Young, excited to be in New York and keen to take in some culture, Kurt and Rachel had accepted his offer eagerly.

Buddy had taken them to Rinky Dinks, the roller disco that he owned in Lower Manhattan. They had been introduced to his girlfriend, April Rhodes, that night, who was one of the singers in the disco and a loud but loveable character. Together, the trio of Rachel, Kurt and April had performed in the disco, and Rachel and Kurt's first jobs were as part-time singers whilst doing their teacher training for NYADA.

Two years after introducing himself to Kurt and Rachel, Buddy, who was significantly older than both of them, died of a heart attack. The disco went to April, who still owned it as far as Rachel and Kurt knew of, and his funeral was two weeks later. Rachel had bought the black dress she now held in her hands for that specific occasion, and had never worn it since.

She threw it on the pile of clothes that was slowly building up on her bed and sighed heavily.

"How many dresses do you actually own?" Kurt enquired, curiously inspecting the layers of fabric by his side.

"I have five left in here." Rachel replied, gazing into her wardrobe, hands on her hips. Kurt was still inspecting the layers of dress, thinking hard about what Rachel should wear.

"Do you still have that white dress in there?" He asked without looking up at her. He heard the rustle of fabrics as Rachel rifled through the remaining dresses in her wardrobe. She pulled out a short white dress with a high neckline and short sleeves, and then looked at Kurt for his approval.

"Yes!" Kurt exclaimed, jumping up off the bed. "Wear this," He said, taking the dress in his hands. "With that white petticoat, y'know, to puff it out a bit." Rachel nodded, before rifling through her drawers to find the white petticoat and laying it on her bed. She then began putting the pile of dresses back into her wardrobe, and Kurt hung the dress up on her bedroom door.

"Right, I'm going to go and get ready now." He said to Rachel before walking out of the room and down the hall to his own bedroom. His own outfit had been laid out on his bed for the past two hours; he had gotten it out and put it together across his bed, and then Rachel had dragged him to her room and the whole dress-choosing fiasco had started.

Kurt had chosen a pair of burgundy red skinny jeans, a sleek black shirt and a green tartan waistcoat, complete with a pocket watch he had bought a few years before.

He dressed quickly, and then sat down at his dressing table and began to work on his hair.

* * *

"What time is Finn coming over?" Kurt asked, checking his watch. The minute hand was creeping up to ten minutes to six, and Kurt was getting anxious to leave. He was pacing around the living room whilst Rachel was sat reading a gossip magazine, busying herself but undoubtedly uninterested in the words on the pages in front of her.

"Six o'clock." Rachel replied without looking up.

Kurt checked his watch again. Eleven minutes to go.

"Will you _please_ stop pacing?" Rachel looked up at Kurt and shook her magazine slightly as she sat up, exasperated at Kurt's impatience. "He'll get here on time, okay?" She gave him a meaningful look and then went back to her reading.

"I'm sorry," Kurt sighed, sitting down next to Rachel. "But you know how much I love West Side Story. And I really don't want Finn to miss any of it."

"I know you love West Side Story." Rachel replied, putting her magazine down and turning to Kurt. "Trust me, I share your passion for all things musical, but you just have to be patient. Finn will be here soon." Kurt smiled apologetically, and in return Rachel smiled her forgiveness. The two friends had known each other for so long now that sometimes they didn't need to use words to convey their feelings.

"I still can't believe you two are engaged!" Kurt sighed wistfully, taking Rachel's hand and inspecting the diamond ring again.

"I know." She smiled. "It still sounds weird when you say it. Hey, guess what?" Rachel said, suddenly turning to Kurt, smiling widely and her eyes aglitter.

"What?" Kurt smiled back, a little confused.

"I heard that there is a new Tony in West Side Story tonight!"

"Really?" The prospect of there being a new actor in any of his favourite musicals always ensnared Kurt's attention.

"Yeah. His name is… something Anderson." Rachel explained nonchalantly. The name Anderson sounded incredibly familiar to Kurt, but he just couldn't put his finger on where he had heard it before. One of his students, maybe?

But Kurt didn't have long to ponder, as the doorbell rang out and pierced his train of thought. Rachel jumped up excitedly and ran to the door, Kurt following a few seconds later, still trying to figure out where he recognised the name Anderson from.

Kurt came into the hallway to see Finn stooping slightly to get in the apartment. Being 6'3", Finn was a foot taller than his 5'3" fiancé, Rachel, but the height difference hadn't stopped them being together, despite Finn confessing to Kurt that he sometimes got a bad back from bending over to hug or kiss Rachel.

"Hi, baby," Rachel smiled, lifting herself onto her tiptoes to kiss Finn. "Good day?"

"Actually, two of the boys got a little too carried away with the smack talk in football practice today…" He replied, recalling the memory. "It took us 10 minutes to get them off each other." He frowned slightly, remembering how violent football could be, even between two 10 year olds. Finn was an instructor at NYSA, New York Sports Academy, and so taught sports to youngsters over the day. Football was his favourite to teach, his high school profession as McKinley's quarterback giving him plenty of experience, as well as plenty of stories to tell the kids.

"Are they okay?" Rachel asked, her concern for the children obvious in her voice.

"Oh yeah, they're fine," Finn replied, smiling at her. "I mean, apart from the scratches and bruises… and the black eye." Rachel gasped, shocked, and Kurt raised his eyebrows, surprised. He had been kicker for the McKinley Titans back in high school after Finn got him an 'audition', and so he knew that football could be a violent sport, but he didn't expect it to arise so early in today's youth.

"You alright, Kurt?" Finn smiled at Kurt, raising his hand slightly in greeting.

"I am very well, thank you, Finn, how are you?" Kurt replied, leaning on the corner of the table.

"Yeah, I'm good." He replied, nodding once, as if to prove his point. After the small exchange, a silence fell among the trio. They all stood awkwardly looking at the floor, Finn with his arm around Rachel's waist and Kurt stood on the other side of the room, hand on hip.

"Shall we get going, then?" Rachel asked, looking at the two men. Relieved that the silence was over, they both agreed and they all left the apartment, Kurt grabbing his coat as he passed where it hung on the wall by the door.

Rachel and Finn strolled along together hand-in-hand, mumbling to each other and stealing kisses every few minutes. Kurt just walked along beside them, albeit keeping a little distance between himself and the loved-up couple, with his hands plunged deep into his jack pockets. He focused on the people around him, amusing himself by creating back stories for every other person he saw walking by.

When the Palace Theatre came into view, Kurt's stomach did several somersaults. It didn't matter how many times he went to see a show; whenever the theatre came into view, Kurt was overcome with excitement, so much so that he felt like screaming and running around in circles like a small child. Rachel was also going through the same thing whilst pulling a bewildered Finn along behind her. They queued at the Box Office, bought their tickets and made their way inside, completely forgetting to check to see if the name of the mysterious new Tony was above the entrance.

* * *

"We don't need a programme, Finn," Rachel explained, pulling Finn towards the open doors so that they could get to their seats. "We already have three."

Kurt was striding across the foyer, keeping Rachel and Finn no further than three meters behind him, excitement bubbling inside him.

Finally in their seats five minutes later, Kurt was covertly reading the programme of the person in front of him over their shoulder. Rachel and Finn were being the cutesy couple that they were, and while Kurt wouldn't normally condemn public displays of affection, he found himself leaning in the opposite direction from their incessant kissing.

When the person in front of him turned the page before Kurt had finished, Kurt exhaled sharply in annoyance. He must have been louder than he had anticipated, as the man turned around to look at him, confused. Kurt, ever the actor for a little improvisation, quickly inspected his hand before looking at the man.

"Broke a nail." He stated, shrugging his shoulders at the man and giving him a look that told him that it was none of his business. He turned around again and settled back down into his chair, holding his programme faintly closer to his chest.

In the short time that Kurt had looked at the man, he had assessed his appearance in intricate detail. He was quite a good-looking man; mousey brown hair, a strong jawline and dazzling eyes – did Kurt see a glint of green there? He was wearing a smart navy blazer with a red shirt underneath, and Kurt even noticed a small badge on his lapel but couldn't quite make out what it said in the few seconds that he saw it. He thought he could just about read a 'D' and an 'A', but the fancy script of it was too difficult to decipher in the dim lighting.

The lights went down then, and Kurt and Rachel both jumped in their seats excitedly. Finn looked about him as the room went dark, but Kurt didn't recall Rachel telling him Finn was afraid of the dark. Rachel turned his chin to the stage just as the curtain went up and the music started.

* * *

The first scene went by, Kurt and Rachel singing along as the Jets and the Sharks confronted each other and Finn watching intently.

When the lights came up on the second scene, Kurt noticed the man in front sit up slightly. _He must know someone in the production,_ Kurt thought to himself. When he looked up at the stage he saw Tony adjusting a sign above the pharmacy where he worked. This new Tony had darker hair than the Tony before him, and appeared to be slightly shorter, but it was hard for Kurt to tell from this far back; he was used to closer seats.

"The new Tony's good." Rachel whispered to Kurt during 'Something's Coming'. Kurt nodded in agreement and mouthed along the words. He felt like the actor in front of him was familiar, although he was sure that he'd never seen him before in his life.

The rest of the first act passed by, Kurt and Rachel thoroughly enjoying themselves, and before they knew it the lights were up for Intermission. Kurt still had the niggling feeling at the back of his mind that he somehow knew the actor, and wished that he _had_ bought a programme before the show. He saw the man in front of him flicking through his own copy again and decided that he may as well talk to someone, rather than sitting awkwardly as Rachel and Finn revived their game of tonsil tennis.

"Excuse me?" He asked sheepishly, leaning forward and tapping the man on the shoulder. He turned again, but instead of scowling this time he smiled. "Hi, I'm Kurt." Kurt offered his hand and the man shook it gently.

"Sebastian." He replied, smiling widely. Kurt felt incredibly awkward; he didn't often speak to random people he met in theatres, but the man's immediate approachability helped him to relax slightly. "Are you here on your own?" Sebastian asked, giving Kurt a quick glance over.

"Erm," Kurt was caught off guard, and flushed slightly at this stranger's forwardness. "No, I'm with those two." He smiled, gesturing towards Rachel and Finn. "But, as you can see, the conversation is a little… non-existent."

Sebastian chuckled. "Yeah, I see that. Are they a new couple or something?" He asked, examining the couple joint by the mouth.

"No, newly engaged." Kurt explained. "This morning, actually."

"Ah," Sebastian responded, nodding his understanding. "Well, tell them 'congratulations' from me." He smiled. Kurt nodded and agreed that he would, and Sebastian turned back to his programme.

"Could I, erm," Kurt leant forward again, and Sebastian turned back to him. "Could I borrow that quickly?" Kurt pointed at the programme, which Sebastian looked down at before handing over with a smile.

"Know someone in the show or something?" Sebastian asked, watching Kurt flick through the pages to the list of actors and actresses.

"I'm not sure…" Kurt replied, turning back a few pages to find Tony. He heard Sebastian chuckle again, his laughter causing Kurt to get slight butterflies.

Kurt's eyes widened when his eyes fell on the name of the actor just as the lights went down again for the second act.

"Oh, second act's up." Sebastian smiled, gently taking back his programme from Kurt's hands and turning back to the stage. Kurt let the programme go, his mind whirling and working intently inside his head.

When Tony next came onstage, Kurt stared at him fixedly. He could see it now. It _was_ him.

It _was_ Blaine Anderson.

* * *

**Yay! Blaine's back! And where could Sebastian possibly fit in to this story? :) C xx**


	6. Blaine

Kurt only remembered snippets of the second act of West Side Story.

He was completely overcome with joy at seeing Blaine again, and was filled with a sense of pride; here he was, watching his childhood best friend singing, dancing and acting in a Broadway theatre. He felt an urgency to talk to him, congratulate him, hug him, but it was very unlikely that Kurt would be allowed backstage. Blaine probably wouldn't remember him anyway; their fleeting friendship had only lasted just over a year, and it had been 16 years since they had seen each other.

The room seemed to shrink around Kurt, making him feel cramped, and his heart rate rocketed. He felt hot and cold at the same time. He couldn't breathe. It was so hot in here. Hadn't the Palace Theatre ever heard of air conditioning?

Kurt had to get some fresh air, clear his head and think about this properly. He mumbled an excuse of needing the toilet to Rachel and Finn before picking his way along the rest of their row. He knocked into an usher as he walked up the aisle, who scowled at him before opening the door to the foyer and standing aside to let him through.

Pacing around the carpeted room, Kurt tried to piece together what was happening. Blaine was here, in New York, performing on a Broadway stage just ten minutes from Kurt's apartment. Kurt hadn't forgotten about him – how could he? – he just hadn't thought about him lately. He used to daydream about what Blaine could be doing with his life while Kurt was teaching drama students, but he normally imagined Blaine as a flash business man with a briefcase and a Rolex.

"Are you okay, sir?" A female voice asked behind him, making Kurt jump. He turned to see a dark-skinned girl stood behind him, wringing her hands nervously. Kurt immediately recognized her as one of the Intermission girls he had seen merely twenty minutes before. Her black hair was tied up in a bun tucked under her hat, and her name badge, that was slightly tilted, read 'Mercedes'.

"I'm, er... Yes, I'm fine, thanks," Kurt replied, mustering a smile. Mercedes smiled back, but she still seemed wary of him. "I just... got a bit hot in there," he explained. "It's quite busy tonight."

"Yes, people are very excited about our new Tony. It's Blaine's first night tonight." She relaxed slightly, feeling a little more confident at having something to talk about. Kurt stiffened slightly at the mention of Blaine; he was still adjusting to the fact that Blaine was on the other side of the doors, performing to a theatre full of people.

"He's very good." Kurt stated, and the Intermission girl smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

"He is, isn't he?" She became quite animated, and began to divulge to Kurt all that she knew of the Broadway star that was Blaine Anderson. "He was in Les Mis when he was eleven, one of the children, apparently. And then he was in _Wicked_, he played _Boq_ in that. That was when he was seventeen, and he did that until he was twenty. For a few years then he did no acting, but I'm not really sure why… All I know is that he spent three months in Ohio, and then disappeared again." Kurt stared at her. Blaine had gone back to Ohio? What if he had gone to find Kurt, but he'd already moved to New York? _No_, Kurt quickly dismissed the idea, _Dad would have told me if Blaine had come looking for me_. "And now he's here, with us." Mercedes continued, happily oblivious to the significance of this information to Kurt. "Have you seen him perform before?" She asked innocently, pulling Kurt back to reality.

"Erm, no," He replied, frowning. How could he not have seen Blaine perform before? "I'm afraid I haven't. We're erm, old friends. I didn't even know he was an actor." Kurt felt ashamed of himself. He had promised Blaine that they would keep in touch, and they did over the summer after he left; they sent letters, e-mails and phoned each other almost every day. But when school started again, the two boys found they had less and less time to contact each other, and they drifted apart long before Blaine got his first role at eleven years old.

"Kurt, are you okay?" Rachel ran across the foyer to where Kurt was sat, still talking to Mercedes. Both Kurt and Mercedes looked up from their conversation to see Rachel panicked and Finn following her, equally concerned.

"Hi, Rachel," Kurt smiled casually. "I'm fine. Sorry I left, but it was so busy in there and I got so hot."

"But you missed most of the second act!" Rachel retorted instead of asking Kurt if he was feeling any better.

"Well, I've seen it plenty of times, Rachel. Unless they've changed the plot, I'm pretty sure I'll be okay." Kurt replied, keeping his tone calm but also a little sarcastically. "And anyway," He continued. "I wasn't alone. This is Mercedes," Kurt gestured to Mercedes, who smiled a little sheepishly at Rachel, slightly intimidated by their first meeting. "She made sure I was okay and we've been chatting. She even shed a little light on our new Tony for me." Kurt smiled at Mercedes, and she blushed gently.

"Oh," Rachel seemed a little disappointed that Kurt appeared to have more fun in the foyer talking to an Intermission girl rather than watching the production with her and Finn. "Well, as long as you're okay, now?"

"I'm fine, Rachel." Kurt smiled in reassurance. "But I am sorry that I didn't stay for the whole production; it was celebratory of your news." Kurt stood and placed his hands on Rachel's shoulders. "Will you forgive me?" He pouted, looking into her eyes.

"Of course I will!" Rachel laughed and pulled Kurt in for a hug.

"So, Finn," Kurt started, pulling away from his embrace with Rachel and turning to her fiancé. "Did you enjoy it?"

Finn smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I really liked it. I'm sorry for being so mean about musicals before, it's just I thought they were a lot of men and women dancing around in tights and singing really cheesy songs, which it kind of was, but it was good cheesy… And the men weren't wearing tights." He looked at Kurt blankly for a split second, judging his reaction, before smiling.

Kurt laughed. "Well, as long as you enjoyed it, big guy." He patted Finn's shoulder and they both chuckled. Kurt then turned to Mercedes. "Well, thank you, Mercedes, for looking after me. And for the excellent conversation." He winked at her, referring to their discussion about Blaine, and Mercedes giggled. "And I have your number, so maybe we can meet up sometime?"

Mercedes grinned and nodded before giving Kurt a brief hug. They pulled away new friends, and waved to each other as Kurt headed out of the theatre behind Rachel and Finn.

"So," Finn declared. "Drinks?"

"Drinks!" Rachel and Kurt proclaimed happily, and the trio headed out onto the streets of New York in search of a club in which they could continue their celebrations the best way they knew how; with lots of alcohol and dancing.

* * *

Blaine was ecstatic.

Walking down the corridors that led to his dressing room, he was constantly pulled aside by the other members of the cast for congratulatory hugs and pats on the back, so that by the time he finally reached the door with his name on it he was practically glowing and his cheeks hurt from grinning.

He pushed open his door to find a slender brunette leaning against his make-up table, lazily flicking through a magazine. Blaine felt his heart beat quicken and he began to feel nervous, more nervous than he had been before the show.

"What did you think?" He asked somewhat timidly, the response to his question being more important to him than any critic's review.

The brunette looked up at him and smiled widely, green eyes sparkling with pride, admiration and love. "Blaine," he breathed. "You were fantastic!" He threw himself towards Blaine and embraced him, letting the magazine fall to the floor. Blaine stumbled backwards a few steps, but ultimately returned the hug, gently pushing the man inside his dressing room far enough for him to close the door.

"Really?" He asked, his voice muffled from speaking into the man's shoulder.

Sebastian pulled away and held Blaine at arm's length and looked directly into his deep brown eyes. "Really." He stated. "I'm so proud of you." He leant in and pressed his mouth to Blaine's tenderly, his hands gently caressing his waist. "So very proud." He whispered against Blaine's lips before kissing him again, parting his lips slightly. Blaine reacted in every way that Sebastian expected him to; he opened his lips to match Sebastian's, his hands slid up slowly from Sebastian's thighs, up his back and looped around his neck, and after a moment or two Sebastian could feel a slight pressure against his thigh. He slid a hand from Blaine's waist further down, his touch teasing and playful.

A knock on the door made them both jump. Blaine looked from the door to his boyfriend and back to the door again. "Who is it?" He called out, pulling away from Sebastian and smartening himself up.

"It's Thad." Came a voice from the other side of the door. Blaine looked over to Sebastian, who nodded curtly that it was okay. Blaine cleared his throat, went over to the door, and opened it smiling.

"My Riff!" Blaine cheered, holding him arms out wide.

"And my Tony!" Thad responded, doing the same as Blaine. They laughed and hugged each other, and Thad noticed Sebastian adjusting his hair over Blaine's shoulder. "Oh, sorry, Blainers," He pulled away, grinning. "Didn't realise you had company." He winked at Blaine, whose cheeks flushed slightly, before laughing. "Come on, B, I'm just teasing you." Thad playfully hit his shoulder, and then waved to Sebastian. "Hey, Seb." Sebastian raised his hand and smiled. "Look, the rest of the cast were thinking that, seeing as you did _so_ amazing on your first night, we'd take you out for drinks." Thad clasped his hands together in front of him, leaving the proposition hanging in the air. "And Sebastian, of course." Thad added quickly, seeing Blaine's boyfriend shift uneasily. "What d'you say?"

Blaine, who had been looking at the floor since Thad's teasing, looked behind him to Sebastian. Sebastian had promised to take him out tonight to celebrate his opening night, but he seemed willing, even eager, for them to join Blaine's friends instead. He smiled at Blaine widely and shrugged, as if to say '_It's your choice_'. Blaine turned back to Thad and grinned.

"Where are we headed?"

* * *

Kurt, Rachel and Finn walked together under the dark night sky towards Puck's, a bar owned and run by their old school friend Noah Puckerman, known by most as merely 'Puck'. Puck had come to New York years before Kurt, Rachel and Finn after his post-graduation plan to start a pool cleaning business in LA hit the fan. He came to New York and worked in a couple of bars, and when his grandfather passed away he inherited enough money to open his own club, which was now nearing its one year anniversary. It had become customary that, whenever any of them were out, Kurt, Rachel or Finn would stop by for a drink or three.

The pounding bass was audible from the other end of the block as the red neon sign above the door came into view. Rachel, Finn and Kurt entered the club and made their way towards the bar where Puck was serving/hitting on a beautiful blonde woman. Kurt and Rachel rolled their eyes at each other as they followed Finn through the crowds to the bar. Puck noticed them and raised a hand in greeting before turning back to the woman. He mumbled something to her, wearing his signature smile, and a few seconds later she handed him a piece of paper and walked away, Puck pocketing the paper.

"Another innocent girl willingly handing over her number to you Puckerman?" Finn teased as they bumped fists.

"Very willingly, Hudson," Puck replied, smirking. "Not too sure about the innocent part, though." He winked as he draped his towel over his shoulder. "Hey guys." He smiled to Rachel and Kurt. "So, what can I get you guys?"

"Something to celebrate please, Noah." Rachel replied, using her left hand to flick her hair back over her shoulder.

"Oh? What are we celebrating?" Puck asked as he got out a bottle of champagne and four glasses.

"Guess." Finn grinned. Puck stared at him for a few seconds before turning to Kurt and Rachel for an explanation. Rachel smiled sweetly and began tapping her fingers on the bar. When Puck finally got the idea and looked down at her hand, the trio laughed as he gawked at the engagement ring on her finger.

"Dude!" Puck exclaimed as he jumped over the bar and pulled Rachel and Finn into a hug. Kurt sat to the side feeling a little excluded as Finn and Rachel told Puck about the proposal. That was, until Puck came over to him, picked him up and spun him around. "Hummel!" All throughout high school, Puck had been like a brother to Kurt. He had kept him company when Finn had whisked Rachel away on another date, had comforted him at the end of his first week of teaching when Kurt felt like his students were _way_ too much for him, and had even attempted to be Kurt's wingman on a night out to Scandals, a new gay bar in Upper Manhattan, when it had opened 8 months before. "Been back to Scandals yet?" He asked as Kurt's feet finally regained contact with the floor. Puck sat on the stool next to Kurt and poured them both a glass each of champagne, Rachel and Finn having already opened it.

"No, not yet." Kurt looked at the floor and blushed. His first and only experience in a gay bar had been memorable for all the wrong reasons. First of all, the majority of the men who came over seemed to be interested in Puck, no matter how much he tried to encourage them to talk to Kurt instead. Secondly, the one guy who came over to talk to Kurt ended up spilling his drink all over Kurt's leather trousers, making them shrink and meaning that the only way Kurt could get them off when he got back to his apartment was to _very carefully_ cut them off. And so Kurt had returned to the comfortable routine of attending normal bars with his normal group of friends, and if there just so happened to be a guy interested in him then it was a highlight to his evening.

"Kurt, you need to get out there!" Puck proclaimed, patting Kurt roughly on the back and nearly knocking him flying off his chair. Kurt sat himself up, spluttering slightly on the sip of champagne that he had been halfway through swallowing. "Any guy would be lucky to have you, Kurt, as long as you're okay with me beating the shit out of the ones who upset you."

"And you wonder why I'm so hesitant to get myself a boyfriend!" Kurt laughed, and Puck chuckled, shaking his head.

"I mean it, though, Kurt." He turned serious and Kurt smiled at him admiringly. Puck really was the big brother he'd never had, and he often forgot the more sentimental side to him. "Y'know this would be so much easier if you were into chicks." Puck claimed, standing up and walking back around to the other side of the bar. Kurt laughed. This conversation was extremely familiar to him, as every time his love life was mentioned around Puck he always got the same thing. "My pockets are literally brimming with numbers from hot chicks who come here." He puffed his chest out proudly and Kurt giggled. "I'll be back in a sec." Puck excused himself and walked down the bar to serve, and no doubt flirt with, a group of girls who were waiting to order.


	7. A Confusing Revelation

**Hey guys! Just a quick thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, I really appreciate your feedback! :) **

* * *

"You okay?" Rachel materialized next to Kurt, Finn's figure looming over behind her.

"Perfectly," Kurt replied, smiling and clinked his glass with hers. "Oh, my, God." Kurt stared at the large group of people who had just entered the bar. Rachel and Finn both turned to look, and Rachel gasped.

"Kurt," Rachel whispered. "It's the West Side Story cast!" She looked back over her shoulder. "And the new Tony is with them!" Kurt continued to watch them as they all filled one of the larger booths on the other side of the bar. "Hey, you never told me what you found out about him!" Rachel turned to Kurt, pressing him for information.

Kurt watched the dark haired man as he laughed and drank and joked with his cast mates, still doubting whether he was the same boy Kurt used to know. "His name is Blaine Anderson." He swallowed hard. "He's been, erm… he's been in Les Miserables when he was eleven and he was _Boq_ in _Wicked_ for three years when he was seventeen. He disappeared for a while and then…" Kurt considered telling Rachel that Blaine had gone back to Ohio, but decided against it to save himself from the mass of complaints Rachel would make about how _If only she'd gone back to visit her Dads, she could have met him_. "Then he joined the West Side Story cast." He gazed at Blaine for a few seconds longer before glancing at the floor and then turning to Rachel. "That's all I know." He smiled weakly, but Rachel seemed satisfied by the information he had presented her with.

"Hey look!" Finn suddenly piped up, glancing away from the group of actors and looking further down the bar. "Isn't that the guy you were talking to, Kurt?"

Kurt looked down the bar to see Sebastian smiling at Puck as he ordered, the two men sharing a few light-hearted jokes. Kurt turned abruptly back to Rachel and Finn to avoid catching Sebastian's eye and took another sip of his champagne.

"Kurt, what's wrong?" Rachel asked. "Aren't you going to talk to him or anything?" But Kurt shook his head. Sebastian was way out of Kurt's league; the chiselled jaw line, the dazzling green eyes and the perfectly dashing smile were all qualities of a man who was several leagues above Kurt. Rachel watched closely as Kurt glanced back over his shoulder, before turning back blushing bright red. She gasped.

"You fancy him!" She cheered, grinning widely. Kurt blushed even harder and sipped his drink again. He watched as Sebastian slowly made his way back over to the booth on the other side of the room, and as he gazed at him he found himself wondering what it would be like to touch him, like reaching over the rope at the museum to touch a painting by Da Vinci or Van Gogh. He thought about what it would be like to hold him, and be held by him in return, and imagined them snuggled together on a sofa watching some generic romantic comedy or another. He speculated what it what be like to kiss him, to feel his tender lips against his, to feel his hand running through his hair as he explored his mouth with his tongue.

All that stopped, however, when Sebastian reached the table and sat back down next to Blaine. He handed him one of the beers he had been carrying and they tapped the necks together, they each took a mouthful, their eyes constantly locked, and then kissed. The kiss was so passionate Kurt could feel the atmosphere change even on the other side of the room. All that he had imagined about Sebastian before, Blaine was now doing to him.

All three of Finn, Rachel and Kurt stared in shock as Blaine and Sebastian pulled away from each other, smiling broadly. Blaine turned to the rest of the cast as they cheered and whooped, but Sebastian gazed at him for a few seconds longer before turning back.

"Kurt, I-" Rachel started, but stopped mid-sentence as Kurt slowly rose from his chair and silently picked up his jacket. There was just so much information for him to process; he couldn't face talking to Sebastian or Blaine right now. And the champagne was starting to go to his head, making him feel light-headed and dizzy, the pounding bass of the music felt like it was a monster inside his head, pounding against his skull to get out.

"I think I'm gonna go home," He smiled weakly and waved half-heartedly as he turned to leave the bar. "I've had a bit too much to drink. You know how much of a lightweight I can be." He tried to joke, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

"Kurt, let me come with you-" Rachel stepped towards him, but he raised his hands and smiled.

"No, you stay out and celebrate," He instructed. "Puck, another bottle of champagne for these two." He called down the bar to Puck, who nodded and pulled out another bottle. "It's on me." Kurt smiled at Rachel and Finn as he pulled a plastic card out of his wallet and passed it over. He gave each of them a hug and reassured them that he was fine before tugging his jacket on and leaving the bar.

* * *

"Whoa, watch it!" Sebastian chuckled as Blaine nearly fell through the door to their apartment. He had an arm around Sebastian's neck, but was barely holding himself upright; Sebastian was keeping him up with the arm that was securely around his waist. Blaine giggled as he threw his keys in the direction of the kitchen table, but in his drunken state his aim was completely out. The keys grazed the edge of the nearest chair before clunking loudly against the wall and falling to the floor.

"I'm not… that, drunk." Blaine protested, turning to Sebastian and holding onto the lapels of his blazer as he gazed into his boyfriend's eyes. "I only had, four beers-"

"As well as six shots of I don't know what, three bottles of something else, oh, and that piña colada Santana bought you." Sebastian listed off the numerous alcoholic drinks Blaine had unwittingly consumed over the night as he lowered him gently onto their black leather sofa. Their apartment wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. It was relatively open-plan, the bedrooms and bathrooms being the only closed-off rooms.

"Oh, don't be such a killjoy, Seb," Blaine groaned as Sebastian gently pulled off his shoes. "You hardly ever go out and get drunk." He slurred slightly as Sebastian lifted him up again and gently walked him towards the bedroom.

"I'm sure you're right, Blaine." Sebastian sighed as he attempted to open their bedroom door as well as keeping Blaine from falling to the floor. He flicked the light switch and the room was flooded with light. Blaine grumbled and tried to cover his eyes, stumbling as Sebastian guided him to the bed and sat him down, allowing him to flop back onto the bed.

"Please, turn the light off, I beg you!" Blaine moaned into the duvet as he rolled onto his front, his eyes tightly shut. Sebastian put the bedside lamp on and directed its glare away from the bed before turning the main light off, and Blaine sighed loudly. "Thank you, Sebby, baby." He giggled as he rolled over onto his back again. He sat up and pulled Sebastian down onto the bed next to him by his blazer, the alcohol in his bloodstream fuelling his sudden turn to lust. He leant over Sebastian, his breathing heavy and reeking of alcohol, and kissed him roughly, but Sebastian pushed him off.

"Blaine, you need to go to bed or you'll feel terrible in the morning." He stood up and stepped away from the bed out of Blaine's lustful grasp.

"Are you going to help me get into my pyjamas?" Blaine queried, grinning like a fool and attempting to find the zipper on his trousers.

"No, I'm sure you'll be fine in what you're wearing." Sebastian walked to the other side of the bed and pulled back the covers. "Come on, get in." Blaine did as he was told, slowly crawling over the bed and getting under the covers whilst purposely getting as close as he could to Sebastian. "Call me when you wake up," Sebastian whispered as he kissed Blaine's forehead. "And make sure you drink _plenty _of water, okay?"

"Where are you going?" Blaine looked up at him with big puppy eyes, confused.

"I'm going to sleep in the spare room," Sebastian replied, standing up. "You need to sleep off that insane amount of alcohol you've drunk. We can't have a hung-over Tony tomorrow night." He turned to leave, but Blaine grabbed his hand.

He looked up at Sebastian for a few seconds before mumbling, "I love you, Seb." Sebastian smiled at his boyfriend; even when he was completely rat-arsed drunk, Blaine still managed to be the most adorable person he had ever met.

"I love you too, Blaine." He leant down and, despite the strong smell of alcohol emanating from his boyfriend, kissed him tenderly before leaving the room, turning the bedside light off as he went. Blaine's eyelids drooped as he lowered his head, falling asleep as soon as he hit the pillow.

* * *

The walk home had been dark and lonely, but it had allowed Kurt to think over everything that he had learnt in the past few hours or so.

Firstly, Blaine was in New York. On Broadway. Performing just around the corner from where Kurt lived. He had grown up into a handsome young man, and despite their history of being best friends, Kurt felt himself developing deeper feelings for him. The more he thought about Blaine, the deeper the feelings got; Kurt felt like his heart was trying to escape from his chest and lead him to wherever Blaine was. But that led him onto his second point.

Blaine was gay, too, but he was dating the handsome stranger that Kurt knew only as Sebastian. Kurt had never expected in all his twenty-five years that Blaine would turn out gay. As children, and until tonight, Kurt would always imagine Blaine in family photos, smiling proudly with a beautiful wife and equally beautiful children. But now things were different. Blaine was different. Kurt had decided that Sebastian was a nice enough man, but he was more jealous of his striking appearance. Or did he feel threatened?

Kurt let himself into his apartment and put the keys in the small bowl he and Rachel kept near the door. He made his way to his bedroom without turning any lights on, and dropped himself onto his bed. He stared at the ceiling, trying to configure how he felt about this new revelation.

Did he want to see Blaine again? Undoubtedly. Did he want to ask Blaine a million and one questions? Most definitely.

Did he want to be with him? Unquestionably.

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**Thanks for reading, guys! Sorry if this feels a bit slow at the moment. Please review! C x x**


	8. Called Out To Wisconsin

**A little later than planned tonight as I nearly forgot to upload! Sorry guys! So I'm uploading this from my friend's house tonight - she's basically my beta reader now :) Enjoy! C xx**

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**Updated 25/05/2012 : RainySunnyEnding, sorry I didn't make Mike's backstory clear before. I've edited it to tell you a bit more about him :) C x**

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_*Beep beep* *Beep beep*_

Blaine's head pounded as he gently opened one eye, squinting in the mid-morning sun. His curtains had been left open, and the sun was flooding his room with light that was too bright for him to handle. He felt disgusting, groggy and incredibly uncomfortable after sleeping in his clothes rather than getting changed. Or at least taking them off.

Why had he decided to sleep in his clothes last night? Oh, that's right; Sebastian had bundled him into bed and then slept in the spare room. Had they argued? Had Blaine said something to piss him off? What _happened_ last night? Blaine peered up at his bedside clock, the little digital face boldly informing him that it was twenty seven minutes past one. Sebastian would be at work right now, teaching music at Dalton Academy just outside the city.

Blaine didn't know how long he'd slept for. He didn't even know what time he got home last night. All that he knew was that he'd drunk _way_ too much.

He searched himself for his phone; it wasn't in his pockets, or in his bed, or even on either of his bedside tables. He sat upright; the quick movement making his head spin, and looked blearily about his bedroom floor. Eventually he got up and started to move things around, thinking of all the places where his phone usually turned up.

_*Beep beep* *Beep beep*_

Blaine stumbled out of his bedroom holding his head; each step he took echoed inside his skull and the rest of his apartment was just as bright as his bedroom, if not brighter. He looked around his apartment, using the doorframe as support. He took a few steps forward before stumbling upon his jacket, his foot getting tangled up in the sleeves, then righted himself before attempting to bend down to pick it up before deciding that leaning forward was definitely not a good idea. Instead, he lowered himself slowly until he was sat on the floor next to his jacket and rummaged through his pockets until he came across his phone.

_17 new messages. _

_8 missed calls._

All from Sebastian.

"Fuck." Blaine whispered to himself before opening the most recent few texts.

'_Blaine, will you answer your phone? I really need to talk to you S xxx_'

'_You can't still be in bed! Answer! Xxx_'

'_Blaine. You may be hungover but this is fucking ridiculous! Answer your bloody phone! S_'

Blaine looked through the missed calls. The most recent one was from about three minutes ago. Blaine hesitated for a few seconds before pressing the dial button, and then held the phone up to his ear. The dial tone was deafening and Blaine felt around the sides of his phone to find the buttons that changed the volume before a crackly voice distracted him.

"_Blaine! Thank God. Why the hell weren't you answering me?_" Blaine winced at how loud Sebastian's voice was in his ear.

"Sorry, Seb," Blaine mumbled, rubbing his forehead with his other hand. "I've only just gotten up. How much did I drink last night?"

"_A lot. Look, Blaine, I have something to tell you._" Sebastian's voice was sharp and firm and Blaine could tell his patience with him right now was wearing thin.

"What's up?" Blaine felt his chest tighten and his heartbeat echoed in his ears. His hangover seemed to melt away, and he became alert to Sebastian's words.

"_Mum phoned me this morning. Apparently my Nan isn't very well. I'm going to go and visit her for a few days._" Blaine sighed heavily. He'd met Sebastian's family, and he knew how devoted Sebastian was to his Nan.

"Do you want me to come with you?" He asked, more because he felt like it was the right thing to say than anything else.

"_No, no, you can't leave New York._" Sebastian objected. "_You have West Side Story. It's okay, I'll go by myself and I'll call you when I get there._"

"When-" Blaine swallowed hard. He didn't really want Sebastian to leave, not now. His first night on Broadway may have gone perfectly, but Blaine still needed the support of his boyfriend to reassure him that he was doing well. "When are you going?" The phone went silent, and Blaine started to feel himself panic. He looked at the display on his phone to make sure the call was still connected before pressing the phone back to his ear again. "Sebastian?"

"_I'm going to fly out tonight._" Sebastian's Nan lived in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the rest of the family had all congregated there to help her through her illness, and to be there for each other should the worst happen. Blaine's heart sank. He wished that he could go with Sebastian and be there to comfort him, but Sebastian always insisted that Blaine put his career first, especially now that he had landed the lead role in _West Side Story_. "_Blaine, I can't ask you to drop everything at such short notice_," Sebastian said, sensing the silence on the other end of the line. "_It's easier for me; I'm just a teacher_-"

"You're not just a teacher, Seb." Blaine interrupted. "You're amazing at what you do, you run the Warblers and the boys love you at Dalton."

Sebastian chuckled on the other end of the line. "_Thanks, B. But, you know what I mean. Will can just get someone to cover my lessons until I'm back, and the boys can handle practice without me._"

"Yeah, and I have an understudy. I can easily come with you." Blaine argued. He didn't want Sebastian to be alone, but he knew that he was on the losing side of this discussion.

"_Blaine; no means no._" Sebastian half-laughed, half-scolded. "_Look,_" He sighed. "_I love you, really I do. But I don't want to pull you away from New York and Broadway and your friends and take you to a depressing, awkward situation for you. And, to be honest, B, I'd rather go by myself, y'know?_"

Blaine understood, but it still hurt him to hear it. He understood what Sebastian was saying, and he knew that he was right; he wouldn't be comfortable in the middle of Sebastian's family. He would feel like he was imposing, and he would make the whole family feel awkward. Not that they especially liked him, anyway. Despite the few years it had taken for the family to adjust to Sebastian being gay, they weren't exactly thrilled to see him with young, naive Blaine. He sat silently for a few seconds, fiddling with the hem of his trousers whilst he tried to think of something to say that would make Sebastian agree with him. But his mind was blank.

"Okay," He said eventually. "But, you'll phone me as soon as you land, right?"

"_I will._"

"And you'll call me if there's any… news?"

"_I will._"

The two men sat silently on either end of the phone, waiting for the other to come up with a conversation starter, but as the minutes racked up they found that they just didn't want to say goodbye.

"_Promise me you'll be as brilliant tonight as you were last night._" Sebastian finally said. Blaine felt tears threatening to run down his cheeks any second; Sebastian had always been so supportive of him, and it was only now, when Blaine knew that he wasn't going to be watching him perform, he realised how much he took it for granted.

"I promise."

"_I love you._"

"I love you, too. And-" Blaine interjected. "I'm sorry, about last night. And about your Nan. Give her my best, yeah?"

"_Will do. Love you._"

"Love you, too."

And with that, Sebastian hung up the phone. Blaine tossed his phone onto the floor and rubbed his temples in circular motions.

Slowly, the pounding in his head resumed and he groaned again. He felt ill. Every inch of his skin felt like it was covered with a layer of grime. Slowly but surely he stood up and staggered his way back into his bedroom. He peeled his jumper off over his head, and let it fall to the floor with a soft thud, and then undid the buttons on his shirt. He let the fabric slide off his arms and down to the floor as he walked towards the door that led off of his bedroom to his en-suite.

* * *

The aroma of coffee stung Kurt's nostrils as he entered the staff room. There were circular tables spread out about the room with teachers sat around them, nursing their cups of coffee as they exchanged gossip that they had overheard from their students. Kurt made his way to a table on the other side of the room where his colleagues, Rachel, Tina and Rory, were admiring Rachel's new piece of jewellery.

"It's beautiful!" Tina whispered, awestruck as she admired Rachel's engagement ring. Rachel smiled broadly, revelling in the attention. Rory was leant in close to Tina, trying to get a good view of the ring. Kurt sat silently down next to them, sitting to the side so that he was viewing the entire exchange.

"Congratulations, Rachel," Rory smiled looking up at her. His thick Irish accent still gave Kurt shivers whenever he spoke. Rory had come to New York the year before straight from Dublin, completely turning his life upside down to be the first professor of set and costume design at NYADA. Tina was one of the dance teachers at NYADA, but she was also one of the teachers with the most free time in her schedule, meaning she often served as a substitute teacher when a lesson needed covering. Her boyfriend, Mike, was a professional dancer and had appeared in several music videos and had even once had a part in a film as a member of a dance group, although he wasn't given many lines. He came in to Tina's lessons once a week if he could take the time out of his schedule, assisting her lessons and demonstrating any techniques that Tina herself couldn't do.

Whilst they chatted, Kurt found himself daydreaming for the fourth time that day. He could not stop thinking about Blaine, and every now and again his imagination got carried away and he pictured them talking, strolling together through Central Park whilst they caught up on the past sixteen years of their lives, and occasionally, his mind would drift back to when they were 9 years old, and that morning when Blaine had left for New York…

"Kurt?" Rory's voice pulled him back to the present, and Kurt looked up to see that he, Tina and Rachel were all looking at him. He looked between them all, trying to recollect what had happened. "Break's over, buddy," Rory chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "Back to classes, I'm afraid."

"Oh," Kurt muttered. "Right, yeah. Class. Okay." Dazed, he rose from his chair and followed the rest of the teachers out of the classroom into the busy corridor. Rachel was at his side as soon as Rory and Tina were gone.

"So," She said. "What's up?"

"What do you mean?" Kurt looked at her and raised a single eyebrow, intrigued by Rachel's sudden questioning as they wove their way through the sea of students towards their respective classrooms.

"You've been spacing out all day." Rachel explained, pulling Kurt's arm to a stop in the middle of the corridor. "Something's up. Something's on your mind and you won't tell me." She frowned, searching Kurt's face for some sort of explanation.

"Nothing," He replied defensively. "Nothing's up. Am I not allowed to think about things anymore without something being wrong?" He raised his eyebrows at Rachel, his tone sarcastic.

"Kurt…" Rachel chided, knowing that Kurt was keeping something from her.

"Okay, okay." Kurt sighed, folding his arms across his chest. He looked up and down the corridor around them, the last few straggling students being the only other people but them. "Y'know the new Tony in _West Side Story_?" Rachel nodded. "I know him. Well, I _did_. We were friends as children and I haven't seen him for sixteen years. And now," He sighed heavily, looking at the floor. "Now I can't stop thinking about him."

* * *

The warmth of the water was pure bliss as it cascaded down Blaine's body. He leant against the wall of the shower and let it flow down his back, the backs of legs and over his shoulders onto his chest. His hangover slowly melted away, the flowing water pulling it away like fingers gently pushing aside a spider's web.

Looking up into the stream of water, Blaine shut his eyes tightly and ran his hands through his hair. Sebastian was flying out sometime tonight – Blaine didn't know when – and he didn't know when he would be back, let alone if he would bring back good news.

Blaine needed to see him. And soon.

Turning the water off, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel from the airing cupboard, tying it around his waist. He glanced at his alarm clock and saw that the time was coming up to three. He had to be at the theatre in two hours to prepare for the show at six, which meant that he only had two hours to try and see Sebastian in person before he flew out to Wisconsin.

Seizing his phone, Blaine dialled Sebastian's number and listened nervously to the dial tone. _Please pick up, please pick up_, he thought to himself as he stood in the middle of his bedroom, water occasionally dripping from his hair and running down his spine, making him shiver. "_You have reached the voicemail of Sebastian_," The recorded message rang out, Sebastian's cheery voice making Blaine miss him even more. "_Unfortunately, I can't get to the phone right now so please leave a message after the tone and I'll call you back when I can_."

"Sebastian," Blaine started after the beep. "It's me, obviously. Look, I really want to see you before you get on the plane. I don't want to leave things at what happened last night. Just… phone me back, okay? Love you." Blaine hung up on Sebastian's answering machine and threw his phone onto his bed.

He paced a few times, watching his phone and waiting for it to ring. But after a minute passed he found himself growing frustrated and dialled Sebastian's number again. For the second time, the cheery recorded message informed him that Sebastian wasn't picking up.

* * *

Kurt sighed with relief as the final bell rang out to signify the end of another school day. He watched as his students filed out of his classroom and turned to his desk to gather up his things before heading home. After his confession to Rachel earlier that day, she had insisted that Kurt should go to see Blaine at the theatre and talk to him, and Kurt had agreed that he would at least think about it.

And he had. He had thought about it a lot over the past few hours, and had decided that now were as good a time as any, and if he was going to go he should really do it either tonight or tomorrow, before he decided that it was just a stupid idea and backed out. He shut his briefcase, lifted it off his desk and walked out of his classroom with an evident spring in his step.

"Kurt!" Kurt turned to see Rachel and Finn stood together down the corridor, walking towards him hand in hand. "Kurt, I'm going to Finn's tonight so you can drive home." Rachel smiled, lightly throwing her keys to Kurt, who caught them and smiled in return. Before he could reply, Rachel and Finn hurried off in the other direction, leaving Kurt by himself. He shook his head lightly, smiling to himself, and made his way to the parking lot, flipping the keys over in his hand.

By the time he reached Rachel's Kia, Kurt was already mentally piecing together numerous outfits that he could possibly wear that night.


	9. Going Backstage

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewd so far, and for all the hits - over 4,000! Never thought that this story would be this popular!  
****Okay, so this is the day _after_ Kurt was going to go and see Blaine, so in the story it's the Tuesday. Blaine's on his own and his still trying to reach Sebastian, while Kurt is building up the courage to drop in and say 'Hello'...**

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"So you're going to see him tonight, now?" Rachel asked Kurt as they sat in the empty classroom together. Kurt was sat on his desk, leaning back with his legs crossed, and Rachel was sat on one of the desks on the front row opposite him, her hands in her lap. It was Tuesday; the day _after_ she had told him to go and see Blaine. Kurt had chickened out, just like he knew he would, convincing himself that he needed to think over what he was going to say when he did actually come face to face with his childhood friend again.

"Yes, I'm going tonight," Kurt nodded. "But I don't know how long I'm going to be there so don't expect me back too early."

"Okay," Rachel shrugged nonchalantly. Kurt being out for the night meant that she and Finn had the apartment to themselves, something she definitely was not going to disagree to. She had spent the night before at Finn's, but they both preferred her bed as it was much more comfortable and the springs didn't squeak. "As long as you tell me all the juicy gossip tomorrow." She smiled, the mischievous twinkle in her eye making Kurt laugh at what she was suggesting.

"I don't think anything along _those_ lines will be happening tonight, Rach," He giggled. "I just want to talk to him, catch up on the past sixteen years and stuff."

* * *

"_You have reached the voicemail of Sebastian. Unfortunately, I can't get to the phone right now so please leave a message after the tone and I'll call you back when I can_."

"Hey, it's me again." Blaine tried to keep his voice upbeat, pacing around his dressing room as he spoke to keep himself calm. "I know you must be there somewhere because you're phone still rings when I call which means you haven't turned it off yet. Which means you can't be on the plane yet." Blaine sighed. He didn't want to be too clingy, but he couldn't help it. He felt so guilty about the night before; it was meant to be just him and Sebastian celebrating his opening night, but he couldn't turn down going out with the cast and had ended up getting incredibly drunk. And then this morning he had been too hungover to wake up and answer his phone when Sebastian needed him, and if he had, he may have been able to see Sebastian before he flew out to Green Bay. "Just, call me."

He hung up the phone and put it down on the table in front of him. He hadn't been able to reach Sebastian all afternoon, and it was now half past four. In thirty minutes the cast would be assembling together to go make sure that everyone was present, and then there would just be the hour-or-so-long wait until the show started. Normally during this time, Blaine would be talking to Sebastian, either on the phone or in person depending on whether it was opening night or not. Or he would be reading over the script, making sure he had his lines and cues planted firmly in his memory. But tonight Blaine found himself unable to do either; the fact that Sebastian wasn't picking up his phone was also making him lose his concentration and he found that the words on the page meant nothing to him. He put his head in his hands and sighed heavily. He knew he shouldn't have come in early but being home alone would make him more likely to call Sebastian. At least here he had people to talk to.

Just then, a knocking on his door woke him from his troubled reverie.

* * *

Kurt walked into the foyer of the Palace Theatre for the second time in three days. There weren't many people about as tickets didn't go on sale for another thirty minutes, just the ushers and Intermission girls and cleaners making sure that everything was in order. Behind the concession stand Kurt spied Mercedes, and hurried across the room to her. She saw him just before he reached her and smiled widely.

"Hey, Kurt, right?" She seemed to be much more confident than she had two nights before, greeting Kurt joyfully.

"That's right." Kurt beamed in reply, slightly flattered that she remembered his name.

"Are you coming to see the show again?" She seemed surprised that he was back so soon. "Because, the tickets don't go on sale for another half an hour or so."

"No," Kurt looked at the floor, nervous about what he was going to ask from her. "I was actually hoping that you'd do me a favour." Mercedes frowned at him, perplexed as to what he would want with an Intermission girl such as herself, but let him continue. He took a deep breath before blurting, "Do you think I could see Blaine?"

She stared at him, completely bewildered and caught off-guard by his question. Her brain worked at double speed, trying to remember if there had been anything about people meeting the actors in her training, even though she knew that she had no idea.

Kurt could tell that Mercedes didn't know how to respond to his question, as peculiar as it was, and felt that he should elaborate before she called Security.

"We're old friends, you see," He said hurriedly. "I haven't seen him for sixteen years and this is the only place where I know I'll definitely find him." He hoped his explanation would be enough for Mercedes to think he was sane, even if he wasn't allowed to talk to Blaine.

"Hold on," Mercedes mumbled, frowning as she began to turn away. "Let me ask someone." She walked away slowly before talking to a tall, short-haired blonde woman who looked significantly older than either of Mercedes or Kurt. She looked at Kurt with an as bewildered expression on her face as Mercedes had, and once Mercedes had finished she stalked over to him, her expression disapproving.

"Your name Kurt?" She seemed to grimace at just having to talk to him, and Kurt felt truly terrified for his life. He nodded mutely, his mouth refusing to speak, and she looked him up and down. Whilst her stare was temporarily away from his face, Kurt took to opportunity to glance at her name badge.

_Sue  
Manager_

'_Oh shit,_" Kurt thought to himself as she stared at him again. '_This woman looks like she's going to breathe fire._'

"So, you know Anderson?"

Kurt nodded again. He felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights; his feet refused to move and eyes were wide with fright, and he felt cold as Sue continued to stare directly into his soul. She narrowed her eyes at him before smiling crookedly.

"Go on, then, Porcelain," She put her arm around his shoulder and pushed him towards to Mercedes. "Mercedes here will take you along to Anderson's dressing room, and I hope for your sake that you really are old friends, because if you've been wasting my time with some little story you made up to meet your Broadway crush, I will personally submit you to the loony bin downtown. Okay?"

Mercedes and Kurt both stared at her. "My name is Kurt-" He mumbled, unsure what he was thinking correcting her.

"I know, Porcelain," She replied plainly. "But your pale complexion reminds me of a porcelain doll I saw in the market the other day, and so I've already forgotten what the hell you're real name is. Quite frankly, the only reason I remember Aretha's name over there is because she wears a name badge. Now, Porcelain, aren't you going to go and see Anderson or are you going to waste more of my time?"

Kurt hastily walked over to Mercedes, who led him through a set of doors that led to the dressing rooms backstage. They walked in silence for a while, Kurt still terrified to speak after his encounter with Sue, before Mercedes spoke.

"Don't worry about Sue," She reassured him. "She's like that with everybody. Not exactly the most social of people, but she does a damn good job running this place."

"Why did she call you Aretha?" He asked, finally finding his voice.

"Oh, that." Mercedes seemed to have forgotten about it already, making Kurt wonder if it was an often occurrence with Sue. "She heard me singing once, and said that I reminded her of Aretha Franklin." Mercedes shone with pride at the compliment, grinning brightly. "It's the only compliment she's ever given me, but it still gives me shivers when I think that I could be a tenth as good as Aretha. Ah, here we are."

Kurt looked up at the door to his left to see '_Blaine Anderson_' inscribed upon it.

"Wait here." Mercedes knocked gently and walked into the room, closing the door behind her. Kurt heard muffled voices on the other side of the door, and then silence. Suddenly, the door flew open and Kurt's heart stopped.

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**Yay yay yay! It will be Blaine POV next chapter, so we'll know how Blaine feels about all of this :)**

**Also, you may have noticed I've started naming my chapters, but if one is still left as 'Chapter _', it means I can't think of one so feel free to submit ideas in your reviews :)**

**Thanks, guys! C xx**


	10. Reunited

**Okay, so I felt really bad about leaving you guys on such a cliff hanger, and I didn't want to make you guys wait until Thursday, and so I'm uploading two chapters in one day :) **

**Plus I love this chapter! Enjoy... C xx**

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"Kurt?" Blaine asked, scanning the face of the man in front of him. When Mercedes had told him there was someone here to see him, he had told her that he didn't want to see anybody. When she had told him that it was an old friend who was very keen to see him, he had become interested in spite of himself and asked for their name. As soon as the name 'Kurt' had passed her lips, he had stared at her for a few moments in disbelief before jumping up out of his chair and pacing slightly around his room.

Kurt was here? In New York? On the other side of his door?

And when he had finally opened his door, he couldn't believe his eyes. The young man was the spitting image of the boy he knew sixteen years ago, although he was taller, his jawline was now more defined, and the youthful chubbiness he had carried off as a kid had melted away.

Kurt nodded and grinned widely, and Blaine went lightheaded. He felt as if he were dreaming. Kurt had been his closest friend during his childhood, and when they had been separated it was one of the worst experiences of his life. But now, sixteen years later, they were reunited… and they were stood staring at each other.

Blaine knew that the formal way of handling this would be to smile and shake Kurt's hand, but to hell with formalities; he stepped forwards and enveloped Kurt in a huge hug, his eyes stinging with tears, sobbing slightly when he felt Kurt embrace him in return. After a few seconds he pulled away, looking Kurt in the face again to make sure it really was him.

"I can't-" He faltered, holding Kurt at arm's length by his shoulders. "I can't believe it's really you. You're here!" He couldn't help but laugh as he pulled Kurt in for another hug. They held each other tightly, and Blaine felt the first few tears glide down his cheeks. "Come in!" He pulled Kurt into his dressing room, wiping his eyes as he went. Mercedes excused herself from the room, leaving the two men alone to talk.

Neither of the men knew what to do with themselves. Should they sit? Should they stand? Should they hug each other again? For a few moments they just gazed at each other, convincing themselves that this was really happening and taking in the new appearance of the other man.

One of the first things that Blaine noticed about Kurt was the way he dressed. He was wearing grey-brown pants and a matching blazer. Underneath he wore a tight, white shirt and around his neck a grey scarf hung loosely. Blaine could tell he cared about the way he looked, and began to wonder what he did now. And how much he earnt from doing so.

"Blaine, I-" Kurt blushed slightly and his gaze shifted away from Blaine. "I must admit, I've been meaning to come and see you for the past few days." Blaine frowned. What did he mean, _the past few days_? "I came to see _West Side Story_ on Sunday with some friends and I realised it was you, but," He sighed deeply, and Blaine wanted to reach out to hold his hand, were Kurt not holding it behind his back. "But, I was worried that you wouldn't remember me and I didn't know what I was going to say to you so I didn't-"

"Kurt!" Blaine was hurt. Kurt looked up at him, a silent tear making its way down his cheek, and Blaine felt a whole new set of tears pushing at his eyes. "How could I not remember you?" This time Blaine did take Kurt's hand in his, the way he used to whenever he saw Kurt upset when they were younger. Kurt smiled slightly, but then began to gently cry; it was all obviously a little overwhelming for him. Blaine pulled him in for a hug and allowed Kurt to cry softly into his shoulder, his protectiveness over Kurt rushing back to him instantly. "And anyway," Blaine smiled softly as Kurt pulled away to dry his tears. "All that matters is that you're here _now_."

Kurt smiled at him, blushing, no doubt embarrassed slightly by his tears, and Blaine thought that Kurt's smile was still as beautiful to him as it had been when they were younger. It reassured Blaine that Kurt's tears were out of joy, possibly even relief, and he wanted to make sure that from now on, Kurt was always smiling.

"We have so much to catch up on!" Blaine laughed, patting Kurt's shoulder and gesturing for him to sit down.

"I know!" Kurt sighed, perching himself on the edge of a chair as Blaine dropped into one opposite him and leant back, completely at ease. "Sixteen years, Blaine. How did it take us so long to find each other again?" He gazed at Blaine, watching his face change as he thought, realizing just how much he had missed him over the years. Blaine was thinking hard. He didn't know how to answer Kurt's question, but he wanted to know just as much as Kurt did. After moving to New York, he and Kurt had kept in contact for a few months, but once the summer was over Dennis and Aileen had told him to concentrate on his school work, and the letters and e-mails from Kurt came to an end.

He shook his head softly and muttered, "I have no idea." The two of them sat staring at the floor for a while before Blaine spoke again, this time louder and cheerier. "But, the past has been and gone. All we can do is make sure that it doesn't happen again in the future!" He leant forward and squeezed Kurt's knee, and the two men smiled at each other. Now that Kurt was back in his life, Blaine had no intention of losing him again.

* * *

Kurt was stunned by the view from his seat. He and Blaine had spoken for a little while longer before a dark-haired Latina woman, who Kurt had been introduced to as Santana, had told Blaine it was curtain call in 10 minutes. Reluctant to leave each other so soon after meeting again, Blaine had insisted that Kurt stayed to watch him perform, and when Kurt had told him that he had seen him do just so only two nights before, Blaine had told him that he would get him a seat in a different part of the theatre, 'making the experience _entirely_ different'. Despite Kurt's polite declination, Blaine had gone to the box office himself and bought Kurt a ticket bang in the middle of the front row on the mezzanine.

A bouncy blonde girl by the name of Brittany had shown Kurt to his seat, a girl who he remembered giving Puck her number only two nights before. At first he thought that she must have read the ticket wrong, that she was leading him to the wrong seat and he would be politely asked to move, but upon inspecting his ticket he found that he was in his own seat. Blaine had also insisted on getting Kurt anything he wanted, and when Kurt had said that a programme would do him just fine, Blaine went ahead and bought him half the gift shop, all of which was in Blaine's dressing room for Kurt to pick up later. That was, apart from the programme, which Kurt was now looking through as he waited for the show to start.

After watching _West Side Story_ the whole way through, Kurt was breathless. Blaine was right; it was a completely different experience watching from the balcony. Kurt had been able to appreciate the choreography of the opening scene between The Jets and The Sharks in a way he never had before, the closeness of the floor seats restricting his view, and he could have sworn that Blaine was singing some of the lines from 'Something's Coming' directly to him.

* * *

Kurt made his way to the foyer to wait for Blaine, but Mercedes dragged him straight back to Blaine's dressing room.

"Blaine told me to make sure you were still here, and to bring you straight to his room to wait for him." Mercedes explained with a smile when she let go of Kurt's sleeve and carried on walking ahead of him. Kurt quickly caught up with her, scowling slightly as he smoothed down his blazer. When they reached Blaine's dressing room for the second time that night, Mercedes casually walked straight in without knocking. Kurt was shocked by her attitude, but upon following her in found that Blaine was nowhere to be seen and told himself that knocking would have been pointless anyway.

"He'll be here in a sec," Mercedes told him, walking back out into the corridor. "See you later." She smiled and waved and shut the door behind her, and Kurt found himself stood alone in the middle of a Broadway dressing room.

This had been his dream, once. To be an actor on Broadway, with his name written on the door in fancy lettering that showed how important he was. But he had to remind himself that this was _Blaine's_ dressing room, not his. He walked over to the make-up table on the other side of the room to inspect what Blaine had left lying around when a picture slotted in the frame of the mirror caught his eye.

It was Blaine, grinning widely behind a pair of dark sunglasses on what appeared to be a beach, his arm around an equally elated Sebastian. It was clear that the picture had been taken by them; the angle and intimacy of the photograph were that of one that someone took themselves, rather than asking a passer-by to take. Kurt gingerly reached out and took it out from the frame, wanting to look at it more closely, and was surprised to feel a second piece of paper underneath the first. Cautiously, he slid the second piece of paper out from underneath and almost whimpered at what he saw.

It was a picture of him and Blaine at Blaine's ninth birthday; the only one he had spent across the street from Kurt. They were both smiling widely at the camera, their arms around each other, cake crumbs and icing surrounding their lips. They were both wearing party hats, but had put them on at jaunty angles so that they pointed in different directions. Kurt had never seen this picture before, but he slowly started to recall the memory of it being taken.

Blaine had blown out his candles about five minutes before, and Aileen had cut both Kurt and Blaine a piece as soon as she had removed them. Dennis had then come along with his camera and told the boys to smile, and even at nine years old it had been one of the first pictures Kurt had ever had taken without him looking in the mirror first. Kurt smiled at the memory, his vision blurring slightly as his eyes threatened to cry for the second time that night.

Voices outside the door panicked him, and he swiftly tucked the pictures back into the frame, managing to step back just as Blaine walked in. Kurt looked at him in the mirror, and Blaine looked back at him.

"Let's go get a coffee or something." Blaine offered, grabbing his coat from a hook off the wall and sliding it on. Kurt turned to look at him before glancing at his watch.

"But it's gone ten," Kurt complained. "I have work tomorrow."

"Come on, Kurt," Blaine chuckled. "You're a big boy now; you _can_ stay up past your bedtime if you want to." Kurt was mildly offended by Blaine's slightly patronizing sarcasm, but decided that the sixteen years they had to catch up on was as good a reason as any for him to ignore it. "What do you do now, anyway?" Blaine asked as Kurt began to walk towards the door, opening it for him.

"I'm a professor," Kurt said proudly. "At NYADA." Blaine raised his eyebrows; a touch surprised by Kurt's response, and followed him out of his dressing room, back out through the foyer and onto the streets of New York.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Kurt asked as he and Blaine wandered along 7TH Avenue. There weren't many places still open this late on a Tuesday night where they could go for a quiet drink together.

"Well, there's a bar up here called 'Tonic'," Blaine explained. "It's usually open late." Kurt had been to Tonic before, but never this late.

"So not Puck's this time, then?" Blaine turned to him, perplexed by his question and how he knew he had been to Puck's a few days before.

"How did you-?" He began, and Kurt laughed.

"Don't worry; I'm not stalking you or anything!" Kurt teased. "I was in there Sunday night with my friends when you and the cast came in." Blaine seemed happy with Kurt's explanation and was back to his usual, smiley self in a matter of seconds.

"Oh, God!" He suddenly exclaimed, his cheeks flushing at the memory. "You didn't see me when I was really drunk did you?"

Kurt laughed out loud. "No," He replied, "Although I kind of wish I had now! Rachel might have… I'll ask her later." Blaine stared at him, but Kurt laughed and carried on walking.

Tonic was relatively quiet and Kurt and Blaine sat together in the quietest corner of the bar. Kurt glanced at his watch again. _10:37pm_. He winced slightly, realising how late it was and calculating how much sleep he would end up getting tonight. He guessed about six hours, seeing as it would take him about half an hour to walk home, and then he had to be up at around half six in the morning to make sure that he was showered before work.

"Stop looking at your watch!" Blaine laughed, turning Kurt's wrist so that the watch face was looking away from him. "You're making me panic that you're going to up and leave any second." Kurt's cheeks flushed bright red and apologised, feeling ashamed that he was focusing more on the time he could stay with Blaine rather than using it to talk to him. "I know this isn't exactly the best time for us to chat," Blaine continued, tracing the patterns on the table with his finger. "But, I was so glad to see you, I didn't _really_ want to say goodbye yet." Kurt was taken aback by Blaine's confession, but felt the same way. He had been complaining to himself about the time and how he 'really should head home about now', but deep down he knew that he would rather stay and talk to Blaine. "Maybe we can meet up again during the week?"

Kurt's chest tightened with excitement, and nodded slowly. "I can't do any weekdays, really," He explained, "You know, what with teaching and stuff." Blaine chuckled.

"I can't do weeknights, either," He smiled, and Kurt realised that he had forgotten that Blaine's evenings were taken up by _West Side Story_. "Or Saturday nights… Or Saturday afternoons… Or Sunday nights…" Blaine frowned, trying to think of when he did actually have time _free_ to meet up with Kurt, and Kurt supressed a giggle at Blaine's expression.

"What about Sunday morning? Or lunch?" Kurt suggested, correcting himself when he remembered that he hated getting up early on Sundays and so lunch was probably a better option. Blaine thought about it for a second, and Kurt watched him anticipation, waiting for his answer.

"Sunday lunch…" Blaine pulled a face that suggested it would be difficult for him to fit it into his schedule, before grinning at Kurt. "Sounds fantastic." Kurt released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Come to mine," Blaine suggested in return. "I'll cook."

Kurt couldn't help but grimace slightly, concerned with how good a chef Blaine was, but luckily for him Blaine took it all in good humour. "Don't worry, I can actually cook. Mum taught me." Kurt relaxed then, remembering how good Aileen's food was, and apologised.

"Don't worry," Blaine smiled. "Dad did the exact same thing when I offered to cook for him once."

"And, how did it turn out?" Kurt had to know. Blaine thought about it for a second before motioning his hands like weighing scales, smirking as he did so, making Kurt laugh again.

They parted ways some time later after exchanging mobile numbers, both of them looking forward to Sunday as they walked home to their apartments along the night-time streets of New York. They fell into their beds, snuggled into their duvets and smiled to themselves, Sunday being their last thought before drifting into peaceful sleep.

* * *

**Yay yay yay! Klaine's back together :)**

**C xx**


	11. Sunday

**Hey guys! Thanks for sticking with this so far - I didn't think it would be this popular! I've got over 5,000 hits! Thanks guys 3 Thanks for the reviews as well - I love knowing what you guys think :) Enjoy, C xx**

* * *

Despite himself – and his rule about waking up early on Sundays – Kurt was bright-eyed and bushy-haired and walking towards Blaine's apartment in Murray Hill by ten o'clock, excitement denying him any extra sleep he may have usually indulged in. He and Blaine had been texting all week, mostly during Kurt's lunch breaks, and Blaine had sent him his address the day before.

Walking across New York in the morning sunshine, Kurt browsed through his conversation with Blaine over the past few days on his phone as he wove in and out of the oncoming foot traffic.

_Hope you had fun last night – was awesome knowing you were in the audience B_

_Are you kidding? You were amazing! Your job is way better than mine… K_

_Mmm, I bet ;) What is it you teach? B_

_Musical Theatre Studies. A good reason for me to know nearly every musical on Broadway off by heart, don't you think? K_

_Ah, so that's the reason, huh? B_

_No. Just a good excuse ;) K_

_Ha ha _

As Kurt crossed over 7th Avenue, he looked down towards the Palace Theatre. The theatre didn't look as impressive during the day as it did at night, crowds of people just passing it by as they got on with their business of the day. Kurt stood on the corner of the street, gazing at the just-visible _West Side Story_ sign, smiling at Blaine's name above the entrance.

He crossed the road, having to run to avoid a taxi that pulled out at the last second, and walked a little further down the street before browsing through some more texts.

_So where do you live? K_

_Murray Hill. You? B_

_Chelsea. K_

_I nearly got a place there! How strange so what are you up to? B_

_Drinking coffee and going over some papers I have to mark. You? K_

_Jersey Shore's on, so I guess I'm watching that for now! B_

Kurt was nearly at Blaine's apartment and so slipped his phone back into his pocket, nerves and excitement bubbling within him. He thought over all the things he wanted to ask him about; up until now they had only spoken about their day-to-day lives, but they had yet to venture into the past sixteen years that they had been apart for.

Despite what he had seen the other night in Puck's, and the picture he had found in Blaine's dressing room earlier on in the week, Kurt still found himself questioning Blaine's sexuality. Maybe he wasn't gay, maybe the guy he saw in the bar was someone who just _looked_ like Blaine. He had been on the other side of the bar after all, and it was dark and full of people. Kurt could have just seen it wrong.

But then what about the picture?

Friends… they could just be close friends who went on holiday together, no big deal, right? Without any evidence that Kurt considered to _prove_ that Blaine was actually gay, he was going on what he'd seen and his own experiences.

He wasn't sure why he felt so nervous about asking Blaine which team he was on, but he was. He was only asking so that Blaine could affirm his presumptions, but Kurt thought it was something more than just wanting to check that was making him nervous. If Blaine was gay, when had he realised? How long had he known? Had life been easier for him than it had been for Kurt when he'd come out? How had Aileen and Dennis taken the news? Had they been as supporting as Burt had been for him? And how long had he been with Sebastian?

Kurt sighed to himself; finding Blaine again had been fantastic, implausible, but it was starting to become a little confusing. Blaine was a completely different person now, and so was Kurt – what if they didn't like each other anymore?

Kurt shook his head, expelling the thought from his mind, and looked up to see Blaine's building just down the street. He took a deep breath, strode up to the door and pressed the buzzer for apartment 25.

Blaine jumped up from his seat at the table when he heard the buzzer and nearly ran to the door. He was so excited to see Kurt again, to tell him all about what he had been up to since they had last seen each other and even more eager to hear about what Kurt had done with his life.

"Hello?" He asked into the buzzer.

"_Hello? Blaine?_" Kurt's voice came through the speaker. Blaine smiled to himself, unable to keep his excitement hidden. This was his best friend, who he hadn't spoken to in sixteen years, how could anyone blame him for being delighted?

"Yeah, come on up." He pressed the button to allow Kurt into the building, and then stood by the door, waiting nervously for him to arrive. He began pacing, and then looked into the floor-length mirror in the hall again, checking his appearance over for the sixth time. He straightened his yellow bow tie, admiring how it stood out against his bright red jumper, and smoothed down his gelled hair one more time, stepping away just as there was a knock on the door. He took a deep breath to steady himself and opened the door, smiling widely.

"Kurt!" Kurt was stood timidly with his hands in his pockets, but Blaine's greeting had visibly cheered him up no end. Before he could move or say anything, Blaine had pulled him into a tight hug just as he had done only a few nights before. "Come in, come on!" Blaine tugged Kurt by the hand into his apartment, shutting the door behind him, and inviting Kurt to sit down on the leather sofa. Kurt slowly followed him, gazing about him with intrigue and curiosity for what Blaine owned. "Do you want some coffee?" Blaine asked, moving towards the kitchen.

"Yes please." Kurt smiled, and Blaine dashed behind the counter, pulled out two mugs and poured out some coffee he had made before Kurt's arrival. As he added milk and sugar and stirred, he watched Kurt as he sat primly on the sofa with his hands in his lap, taking in the room around him without really investigating like he wanted to. Blaine could practically see Kurt's fingers twitching, wanting to pick things up and look at them properly.

"You can look around you know," Blaine smiled, bringing the coffees over and setting them down on the table in front of them. "You are allowed to touch things. Most of the stuff in here isn't breakable, so you're fine." He winked at Kurt, referring to Kurt's clumsiness as a child. There had been numerous occasions during their brief friendship where Kurt had not been watching where he was going or had turned too quickly, and some object or another had gone flying.

One specific occasion was the first time Burt had come over to introduce himself to the Andersons, bringing a shy and reluctant Kurt with him. Blaine had sat quietly, watching Kurt as he sat incredibly close to his father, waiting for him to want to play with him. When his mum had eventually invited Kurt to go up and see Blaine's playroom, Kurt had jumped down off the sofa and knocked over one Aileen's vases as he did so. Burt, Dennis and Aileen used to tease him, directing him away from objects such as vases on a daily basis.

Kurt flushed furiously, the bright red creeping down his neck as he grew hot with embarrassment, but laughed. Even now, he was rather clumsy and so had limited himself to just sitting and waiting for Blaine, but Blaine's encouragement had prompted him to stand up and move around, looking at pictures and objects properly. Kurt took in the framed theatre posters that hung on the walls, the collection of books that filled the bookcase next to the kitchen, and it wasn't long before he found the framed photographs.

In the centre of the bookcase, one shelf was filled with framed pictures of Blaine and Sebastian throughout their years together. Kurt took them all in, a pang of jealousy for their relationship hitting him square in the chest.

One picture specifically caught his eye. It was obviously the most important to the couple, as it sat at the front of the pictures in a gorgeous silver frame. Kurt picked it up and looked down at it, vaguely aware of Blaine watching him in the corner of his eye.

The picture was of Blaine and Sebastian grinning at the camera, dressed smartly in suits with an arm around each other's waist. Each of them held a glass of something bubbly, Kurt guessed champagne, and they were stood somewhere outside, a lush green lawn and bright blue sky serving as their backdrop. Suddenly Blaine was next to Kurt, coffee in hand, inspecting the picture he seemed to have so much interest in.

"Ah, yes," Blaine smiled at the picture. "That was our anniversary last year. That's my boyfriend, Sebastian-"

"I know," Kurt interrupted, and Blaine looked at him, shocked. "I met him at _West Side Story_, I borrowed his programme." Kurt explained, shrugging slightly.

"Oh, so _you're_ the handsome stranger he told me about!" Blaine laughed. Kurt's eyes widened and he blushed, looking back to Sebastian in the picture, remembering how the man had given him a glance over when they'd first met.

"H-how long have you two been together, then?" Kurt stammered slightly as he tried to get over his embarrassment.

"Well, that was our 5 year," Blaine pondered aloud. "So… six years this year." He smiled and took a sip of his coffee, and Kurt slowly put the picture back on the shelf.

"How did you guys meet?" He moved along the bookshelf, browsing the vast collection books rather than the pictures.

"We went to school together," Blaine replied, moving along slowly beside him. "We both went to Dalton Academy, this all-boys school just outside the city. Sebastian was two years above me, but he helped me through school and we quickly became friends."

"Oh, so no fleeting high school romance?" Kurt teased, and Blaine shook his head.

"No, Seb was already dating a guy called Jeremiah by the time I got there. We were all friends together – obviously, I did have other friends in my own year, but I guess I was closest to Sebastian. He used to help me go over scripts whenever I had an audition, and he came to my opening night of _Wicked_. He did bring Jeremiah, but…" Blaine seemed to wince slightly, an obvious dislike for Sebastian's ex-boyfriend. "There was nothing I could do about that." A brief silence fell between them and so Kurt turned his gaze back to the books next to him, even though he was barely taking in any of the titles. "Anyway," Blaine cleared his throat. "Sebastian and Jeremiah graduated a few years later, and I went through my last two years of Dalton by myself. Then, a year after I graduated I ran into Sebastian in a gay bar – I forget the name of it now – and we got to talking. It turned out that he'd broken up with Jeremiah a few months before, and, having had a crush on him since half way through my first year, I asked him out. We've pretty much been together ever since."

Kurt nodded as he slowly sat back down on the leather sofa, having looked around enough to satisfy Blaine. He took the cup left on the table in his hands, relishing in the warmth it brought to them, and took a sip. It wasn't scalding hot anymore, but luckily it was still warm enough to pass as acceptable for Kurt. Blaine sat on the other leather sofa that made a corner with the one Kurt was sat on. "So, when did you realise that you were, y'know… gay?" Kurt asked, drinking almost half of his coffee in one breath. Blaine thought about his answer for a second, looking at the floor in contemplation.

"I guess, when I got to Dalton." Blaine admitted, his cheeks rouging ever so slightly. "I mean, there I was, a confused 14 year old boy in the middle of a school of boys. I'd already kissed girls by that time, but they just didn't really… do anything for me, if you get what I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean, don't worry." Kurt smiled, and Blaine chuckled, shaking his head softly. "So, what made you realise?"

"I don't know, really. I never really had a crush on any of the guys – only Sebastian really caught my eye, but he was two years older and already dating. I guess, seeing a gay relationship in person rather than on TV or in books made me realise that that was what I wanted, and I just sort of accepted it. Dalton was fantastic for its zero tolerance on bullying, and so I was free to be myself. It was when I went home that things got complicated…" Blaine frowned, and Kurt nearly spluttered on his coffee in shock. What had happened when Blaine had told Aileen and Dennis?

"Your parents didn't take it well?" Kurt asked, leaning forward with concern.

"Not exactly, no." Blaine mumbled without looking up. "Out of the two of them, Mum took it the best, and she nearly threw me out." Kurt gasped. Aileen had always seemed so supportive of her son and was the image of a perfect mother who baked cookies on a whim and doted on her son, not at all like a mother who would threaten to turn her back on her son for being gay.

So how had Dennis taken it?

"Blaine, I-" Kurt leant forward and put his hand on Blaine's knee to comfort him, but he didn't know what else to say rather than "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Blaine smiled, putting his hand on Kurt's. "It was years ago now." Blaine gave his hand a squeeze and, when he smiled, Kurt slowly pulled his hand away. He moved next to Blaine, sitting next to him rather than across from him.

"What about your dad?" Kurt was almost scared to ask, but he wanted, no _needed_ to know how it had been for Blaine, suddenly feeling slightly guilty about how easy it had been for him with his own dad.

"He didn't talk to me for a few days," Blaine swallowed hard, blinked back the inevitable tears. "Told me that I'd disappointed him and dragged me to Church, determined that he was being punished for something and prayed for God to 'cure' me." He looked down at the empty coffee cup in his hands and put it down on the table in front of him before sitting sideways so that he could look at Kurt. "Yeah, he didn't take it too well."

Kurt was gobsmacked. He stared at Blaine in disbelief; how could his own parents have treated him so wrongly for being who he was? How had they become so different to the people Kurt had known as a child?

"What about you?" Blaine was asking, his features had softened and he was partially smiling, one side of his mouth pulled up in a half-smile. "When did you realise?" Kurt raised a shaped eyebrow in confusion. Blaine's mouth fell open in shock; Kurt was gay, right? "…that you were gay?" Blaine ventured, and Kurt seemed to understand him.

"Well, Dad will tell you that he's known since I was three and I apparently asked for a pair of 'sensible heels' for my birthday," He smiled, happy to see Blaine laughing again. "But I guess I've kind of always known, on some level. I just never realised what it _was_ that was different. At least it made telling Dad easier, seeing as he basically already knew."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Blaine asked, and Kurt flushed slightly. Luckily, it wasn't enough for Blaine to notice.

"No," Kurt replied truthfully. "I've had a few… flings and stuff, but I've never _really _had a boyfriend. Not a proper one, anyway." Another silence fell between them, and Kurt nervously fiddled with his jacket buttons.

"I'll just take these out," Blaine muttered, standing up and taking the coffee cups back out to the kitchen. "Or do you want another one?"

"As long as it's not too much trouble?" Kurt smiled, looking up at him.

"Of course it's not." Blaine chuckled, walking back over to the kitchen. In his absence, Kurt decided to have another look around, this time venturing into the other side of the room behind the sofa. It was mainly the kitchen and an area which served as a breakfast/dining room, but there were still odd bits and bobs around for Kurt to investigate.

"So where is Sebastian?" Kurt asked as he traced his fingers along the edge of the table, admiring its fine workmanship.

"He's in Wisconsin, actually," Blaine answered, bringing over another cup of coffee. Kurt turned to him, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "He flew out on Monday night," Blaine continued. "His mum phoned him saying that his Nan was ill, and so he flew out to see her. He called me on Wednesday and told me she was getting better, but he was going to stay out for the rest of the week, just to make sure."

"Oh, well tell him I send my best when you see him."

"I will. Thanks."

"No problem." They settled back against the table, looking out of the window at the view of the city. Kurt marvelled at how much of the city he could see from here and became a little jealous of Blaine. He realised then that he was jealous of him for more ways than one; he was jealous of his apartment, despite the fact that the one he shared with Rachel was perfectly adequate; he was jealous of his relationship with Sebastian, and he was sickeningly jealous of his career. "You know, of all the times I imagined what you'd be like now," Kurt said, still gazing out of the window. "I never thought you'd be an actor on Broadway in one of my favourite musicals." He saw Blaine turn to face him in his peripheral vision with a slightly bemused expression and turned to face him, smiling.

"Really?" Blaine's eyes twinkled slightly, and Kurt put it down to amusement at what he had just said. He nodded.

"Really. I always thought you'd be some businessman with a beautiful wife and adorable children," He blurted before he even thought about it. "Which goes to show that I never thought you'd be, well… gay." He blushed and looked at the floor, asking himself why he'd just said any of it. But, to his relief and slight confusion, Blaine was laughing. He looked up to see the dark-haired man leaning back against the table, his gaze returning to the view.

"To be honest," He said, still chuckling slightly. "Neither did I." He turned to Kurt and smiled, and Kurt felt slightly better about what he'd said. "It just sort of… happened." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, before giving Kurt an odd look of curiosity.

"What?" Kurt asked, self-consciously wiping his mouth.

"You really used to think about me like that?" The twinkle returned to Blaine's eye, and Kurt's cheeks grew hot as he flushed almost the same colour as Blaine's bright red jumper. He looked at his shoes and attempted to shrug his shoulders, but he was near frozen in embarrassment, and so resorted to a small, sharp nod. Blaine chuckled again, and put his hand on Kurt's shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry about it," He said. "I used to do the same thing."

Kurt looked up at him, amazed, but Blaine just smiled, almost smugly. "Really?" Kurt couldn't help but laugh; to him, the idea that Blaine used to imagine what he would be like now was completely unbelievable.

"Really." Blaine nodded, grinning at how their roles had reversed. "And I must admit, I never thought you'd be a teacher!" He laughed, the noise so beautiful and infectious that Kurt felt as if he _had_ to join in so as to not be rude.

"What did you think I'd be, then?" He asked, the conversation beginning to flow freely and comfortably. Blaine's laughter died down slightly as he thought about it.

"I don't know, really," He smiled. "At one point, I reckoned you'd be the next big fashion designer Sebastian would just happen to tell me about," He admitted, absent-mindedly recalling all of the scenarios he had dreamt of meeting Kurt again in. "And then it changed to you being an actor in a film I went to go and see, and then I just used to imagine meeting you in a park or something crazy like that." He smiled at the memory for a few seconds longer before snapping back to the present. "Anyway, that was when I thought you were still in Ohio," He smiled. "I used to wish that you would come to New York, but for some reason the whole idea just seemed so implausible to me. But now you're here, it all seems… right."

Kurt, who had been watching Blaine as he spoke, felt his stomach flip at Blaine's last words. He wasn't sure why, maybe it was just because it meant that Blaine had been thinking about him, too, or maybe it was because no-one had ever told him that him being with them felt 'right'. He pushed the thought aside and took another sip of his coffee, thankful that there were only a few drops left as it had turned cold this time.

Blaine took the cup from Kurt, noticing that he had finished, and without asking if he wanted another took it into the kitchen and placed it in the sink, along with his own. He looked over to see Kurt adjusting his hair in the mirror that he had used before letting Kurt in, and slipped away into his bedroom.

Checking that Kurt hadn't followed him, Blaine almost skipped across his room to his wardrobe and slid the door open. He parted his clothes that were hanging up and leant down to look around the bottom of the wardrobe. This was where he hid most of his personal stuff, the stuff that he didn't necessarily want Sebastian, or anyone else, to know about. It wasn't exactly the best hiding place, but Blaine had noticed a few months ago that Sebastian had slowly been moving his clothes into the wardrobe in the spare room and so he hardly came in here anymore, making it the perfect place for him to hide things.

He could tell that there was something amiss with Sebastian; he seemed a little more distant recently, and was becoming more like a friend or a big brother figure. The thought made Blaine shudder: he did not just refer to the man who he slept with as his 'big brother'. Urgh. But he knew what he meant; the spark from their relationship was slowly fading, but Blaine put it down to him being back on Broadway. It meant that their schedules conflicted with Sebastian teaching during the day and Blaine performing during the evenings, leaving very little time for them to actually be together.

Blaine finally stumbled upon what he'd been looking for; a sleek, black book with 'Photos' embossed on the front. He brushed his hand across the surface of it, smiling to himself with a slight hint of pride but mainly excitement, eager to show Kurt. He put his clothes back together and slid the door shut again before leaving the room, beaming as he walked over to Kurt with the book behind his back.

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**So that ends Chapter 11. Who else is bummed that Glee's finished now? I've been listening to Glory Days and I'll Remember constantly over the past few days... as well as pretty much every other Glee song I own! But still, _Glee's over_! Until September at least...**

**And Klaine got to stay together 3**

**Until next time :) xx**


	12. Jeremiah

**Hey guys :) Ohmygosh I know I say this like every week but thank you all SO MUCH for the favourites and alerts and reviews - it means so much to me as I didn't think that this would be all the popular. I love Klaine so much, and so writing them is awesome :)**

**So, enjoy... C xx**

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"Oh my gosh, no way!" Kurt laughed as Blaine turned the page. His laughter was high-pitched but almost musical, and Blaine decided that he liked the sound. He was laughing too, but more at Kurt's reaction than at the pictures; he'd sat up late and gone through them many a time over the years, and so it was nice for him to be able to share them with the one person he had wanted to.

He looked down at the pictures, and smiled. They were of him and Kurt during their childhood - they all were - but this page was one of his favourites. It was a collection of pictures from a day out to the local pool that Burt had taken them on, one of the first and best days of that summer all those years ago. It was one of the first times Burt had ever been able to get Kurt to go swimming, let alone getting his hair wet in public. It had been as soon as he'd mentioned that Blaine was coming too that Kurt had run upstairs, grabbed a pair of red board shorts and a towel and run back downstairs again, only for Burt to tell him that they weren't going for another two days. Of course, he'd never told Blaine this; although Kurt had no doubt that Burt had told Aileen and Dennis.

Surrounded by a mass of blue, chlorinated water, there were several snapshots of Kurt and Blaine tumbling around in the water, grinning widely as they dunked each other and had breath-holding contests.

"Where did you get these from?" Kurt asked as he slowly looked through the book. Blaine let him have it on his lap, and leaned over with his arm resting on the back of the sofa behind Kurt.

"Well, when we left your dad came over with a load of pictures." Blaine answered, watching Kurt turn the pages. "He gave them to me, not Mum or Dad; he told me he didn't want me to forget how happy I'd made you." Kurt looked up at him then, a little surprised by how close Blaine was, but from here he could smell Blaine's cologne and he would be lying if he said he didn't like it. "I didn't really understand what he meant back then," Blaine resumed, still gazing at the photos on the open page. "But I think I do now." He looked at Kurt, his heart jolting when he gazed into his blue eyes. "It must have been so hard for you, losing your mum, and even though I didn't understand how you felt I understood _why_ you felt it, and now I can see how much happier you were when we were together."

Blaine could see the beginnings of tears in Kurt's blue eyes as they gazed up into his hazel-brown ones, and somehow felt himself leaning in closer. He could feel Kurt's breathing against his neck, and he was completely swept up in Kurt's eyes, drowning in the deep blue-grey. They seemed to pull him in, like his own personal gravity. He came to his senses when he was twenty centimetres from touching noses with Kurt and sat up quickly, clearing his throat and taking his arm back from behind Kurt. "Excuse me." He mumbled, and stood up and left the room, taking the photo album with him. He shut his bedroom door behind him and rushed over to his wardrobe, practically throwing the book back in. He paced around for a few seconds before deciding to go into his en suite and locking the door behind him.

* * *

Kurt was breathless.

What had just happened? He had been sat next to Blaine and they had been innocently looking through old pictures of their childhood together when he had looked up to see Blaine leaning over him, no, leaning _into_ him, his arm on the sofa behind his shoulders. And then he had been leaning in, closer and closer. Kurt could feel Blaine's breath on his lips; it was warm and he smelt faintly of coffee. Kurt's heart beat increased to a rate that he was sure wasn't good for him. His gaze faltered, and then Blaine was standing up and walking away.

Was Blaine about to… kiss him?

* * *

Running his hands through his hair, Blaine stared at himself in the mirror. What was he _thinking_? Had he been… leaning in? Was he going to kiss Kurt?

His head was swimming, but he knew that he couldn't stay in his bathroom forever; Kurt was still sat in his apartment – that was, unless he'd decided to leave – probably still in shock from what had just happened, and Blaine would have to talk to him about it at some point.

_Sooner is better than later, Blaine_, he told himself. He repeated it in his head as he stared at his reflection until he made himself believe it. He turned and unlocked the door and then walked through into the living room, doing it while he still had the nerve.

"Kurt, I-" He started, but Kurt interrupted him.

"Blaine! Look who it is!" It was then that Blaine realised he had closed his eyes, and upon opening them his stomach dropped.

"Hi, honey," Sebastian smiled, turning towards him and walking quickly up to him.

"Sebastian?" Blaine breathed as his boyfriend pulled him into a hug, lifting his feet off the floor slightly. He closed his eyes as he breathed in the familiar smell of Ralph Lauren cologne and gripped onto the back of his jacket, reminding himself that Sebastian was his _boyfriend_. His boyfriend of _six years_, to be precise. Over Sebastian's shoulder he saw Kurt standing awkwardly, fiddling with his jacket sleeves again. For some reason - Blaine wasn't exactly sure what - he decided to pull Sebastian in closer to him and whispered "I missed you so, so much" into his ear, before planting a kiss on his mouth. He felt like he had to prove to Kurt that he was in a relationship, but he knew it was a case of having to prove it to _himself_.

"Mm, Blaine-" Sebastian mumbled, pulling away far enough to look at him in the face. "I think we're being a bit rude in front of our guest." He chuckled and looked towards Kurt, who blushed and looked away.

"Oh," Blaine feigned embarrassment, pretended that he'd gotten caught up in the moment and turned to Kurt. "Sorry." He smiled weakly, feeling way too proud of himself. He knew he'd gotten his point across, and that Kurt had heard it loud and clear.

"It's okay," Kurt mumbled, putting on a smile. "You haven't seen each other for a few days, it's quite understandable." Suddenly Blaine was ridden with guilt; it wasn't Kurt's fault that Blaine had nearly kissed him, and it wasn't Kurt's fault that Blaine had wanted to. Badly. It was Blaine's fault. All of it. And it was also Blaine's fault that Kurt now looked extremely uncomfortable.

Blaine noticed that Sebastian was giving him a strange look, his head tilted towards him with his eyebrow raised, expecting an explanation about how this stranger knew they had been apart. "Sebastian, this is Kurt," He stammered, gesturing over to the now-shy man stood in their apartment. "He's an old friend of mine; we met a few days ago."

"Charmed," Sebastian smiled, going over to Kurt to shake his hand. When he looked into Kurt's face, he immediately recognized him and smiled, pointing at him. "Programme, right?"

* * *

Kurt blushed, shaking Sebastian's hand, and smiled. "That's right." He started to panic, hoping that Sebastian hadn't noticed how awkward he'd been when he had opened the door a few minutes earlier. He had received a weird look at first, but after a quick explanation Sebastian had let it go and gone back to smiling.

"_Who are you?" Sebastian had asked, stunned at Kurt opening the door rather than his boyfriend. _

"_I-I'm Kurt," The porcelain-skinned man had stuttered in reply, blushing bright red and his eyes wide in what looked like fear. "I'm a friend of Blaine's? He invited me over for coffee-"_

"_Oh, well any friend of Blaine's is a friend of mine." Sebastian had smiled, seeming suspiciously cheery for someone who had just come home to a stranger in his apartment, but Kurt would rather this than him jumping to any conclusions. "Mind giving me a hand?" He gestured to his bags on the floor, taking one and leaving the other for Kurt to carry it in. Whilst Kurt was distracted, Sebastian scanned his apartment for any signs that anything more than coffee had happened. But everything was perfectly in its place. The only thing that concerned him was that the bedroom door was shut._

"_So, where is my lovely boyfriend?" Sebastian turned to Kurt as he shut the door and put the bag down by his feet. _

"_In the bathroom, I think." Kurt had stammered, just as Blaine's bedroom door had opened._

* * *

"So," Sebastian smiled as he played with Blaine's hair. "What did you get up to while I was away?" All three of them, Sebastian, Blaine and Kurt, were all sat on the sofas; Sebastian all over Blaine on one, Kurt sat watching them on the other. Blaine risked a look at Kurt, but he was staring at the floor.

"Nothing really," Blaine admitted, which technically was true; he hadn't been out except for work and had sat around watching TV most of the time, although he _had_ been texting Kurt non-stop for the past few days. Not that he was about to tell Sebastian that. "Just work. And then I bumped into Kurt and we've been in touch throughout the week. He's been my conversation whilst you were away." Blaine teased, tapping Sebastian's nose lightly with his finger. "Speaking of which, how was Wisconsin?"

Now _that_ hurt, Kurt thought to himself. Blaine had just shrugged him off as merely 'conversation' to fill the gap caused by his boyfriend's absence, and even though Kurt knew that Blaine was doing it to keep both of them in the clear, it stung. He watched Sebastian then, for the brunette had been silent over the past few seconds since Blaine had asked him the question. He seemed to falter, his gaze leaving Blaine's and finding interest in the sofa, and Kurt found a small niggle of suspicion begin to grow inside him.

"It was good, y'know, considering," And then Kurt felt guilty. How could he have been suspicious of the man who had gone to visit his sick grandmother? Of course he didn't want to talk about it. And what was he even accusing him of?

"How's your grandmother?" Kurt felt the inclination to ask, but didn't plan on the words coming out of his mouth: it wasn't his place to ask. Sebastian looked up at him, almost glaring, and Kurt sunk back into his chair slightly, crossing his legs as an attempt at a disguise.

"She's good," Sebastian replied, his features softening but nowhere near a smile. "She's better." Sebastian then turned back to Blaine and smiled. Now Kurt was definitely suspicious.

"I'm glad to hear it." Blaine whispered soothingly, kissing Sebastian lightly on the nose.

A knock at the door made all three of them jump, but Sebastian looked downright alarmed. "I'll get it!" Kurt jumped up, his prayers for a distraction having been answered. He opened the door to a man who appeared to be in his late twenties, with medium-length blonde hair that reminded Kurt of a stereotypical surfer and a look of shock etched onto his features.

"I, um-" He mumbled, and Kurt found himself about to do the same. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Blaine rose from his seat and came over.

"Kurt, who is it?" He chuckled at Kurt's expression and pulled the door open wider, allowing himself to see who it was.

He immediately wished he hadn't.

"Jeremiah?" His voice was thick and it was obvious that he was trying very hard to control himself. His jaw was set and his eyes were staring hard at the man at his door. Kurt gasped slightly, recognising the name as Sebastian's ex-boyfriend, and looked to where Sebastian was sat on the sofa.

At the mention of his ex's name, Sebastian jumped up and bolted to the door, glancing uneasily between Blaine and Jeremiah as he put his hand on Blaine's shoulder. "Jeremiah?" He asked, his voice unnaturally higher than usual, and Kurt's suspicions were growing stronger by the second. He stepped away from the door and moved over to the kitchen, leaning on the countertop, unsure of what to do with himself. "What- what are you doing here?" It was clear by the look on Sebastian's face that he was begging for Jeremiah to lie, but it was also clear by the look on Jeremiah's face that he had no idea what to say.

"I, um, I-" Jeremiah looked from Sebastian to Blaine, his expression a mix of being baffled and terrified. In the end, he decided to tell the truth rather than come up with something completely improbable. "Sebastian's wallet was in my bag," He blurted, thrusting his hand forward and offering a dark leather wallet to no-one in particular. "I figured you'd need it."

Blaine, who had been stood in the same position staring down Jeremiah throughout all of this, turned abruptly and walked away, leaving the door open. "Blaine, I-" Sebastian started after him, leaving the door open and Jeremiah still offering out the wallet.

"You can explain?" Blaine turned on him, nearly shouting. "I'd like to hear you try, Sebastian." His voice was bitter, his expression one of pure disgust.

"Blaine," Sebastian pleaded, holding out a hand towards his boyfriend. "I…" He trailed off, having no excuse in mind to save himself.

"No, really," Blaine persisted. "I'd like to hear you fucking try! You promised me you wouldn't speak to, to _him_ ever again!" He spat, pointing sharply at Jeremiah, who had risked taking a few steps into the apartment. Kurt watched as Sebastian spluttered and stammered, obviously caught red-handed.

Blaine felt sick. He felt sick to his stomach and he couldn't bear to even _think_ about what he was seeing in front of him. He was vaguely aware that Kurt was still somewhere in the room, but right now it was taking all of his self-control not to throw himself at Jeremiah and beat the shit out of him, let alone stopping himself from being sick.

He listened as Sebastian tried to plead in front of him, explaining how he and Jeremiah had just 'happened to bump into each other at the airport', and how Jeremiah had 'insisted they share a cab so that they could catch up'. The whole time Blaine was watching Jeremiah in the background, and how his face contorted in confusion as Sebastian spouted stories and lies about how they had met.

And then Sebastian was holding him, pressing a kiss to his mouth and trying to part his lips with his tongue. For a brief moment, Blaine wanted to kiss him back, to believe him and for this to all be over, but the moment quickly passed. He pushed Sebastian away, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. All he could taste was betrayal, and felt sick that Sebastian had _dared_ to kiss him with the same tongue that had been in Jeremiah's mouth. Sebastian fell to the floor, stunned into silence, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"Did you even _go_ to Wisconsin this week?" Blaine stared at Sebastian. "Was your Nan even _ill_?" Sebastian stared back at him like a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

"I- Of course I did!" Sebastian protested, looking up at Blaine.

"So, if I phone your mom right now, she'll tell me you were there?" Blaine countered, trying to catch Sebastian out.

"She's still in Wisconsin," Sebastian replied timidly. "You won't be able to reach her."

"Well, then, give me your Nan's number," Blaine demanded, going over to a small end table by the sofa and pulling out a black address book from its draw. "Let me at least phone her to send her my own best _fucking _wishes_!"_ Blaine threw the book to the floor in frustration, making the three other men in the room jump.

"Blaine," A voice to the left of him whispered, having an instant soothing effect on him. He turned to see Kurt, who looked absolutely terrified. "Blaine, I think I should leave now." Kurt moved towards the door, waving slightly as he dashed out of the apartment and disappeared down the hall. Blaine wanted to chase after him, to bring him back. His heart sank and he took a few steps towards the door, but stopped when his gaze fixed back onto Jeremiah, and then down to Sebastian who was slowly getting up off of the floor.

* * *

Kurt ran most of the way home, desperate to get away from the arguments and the shouting and back to the comfort of his own apartment. He avoided taxis as he crossed 7th, and apologised profusely to the woman he nearly sent flying as he rounded the corner that took him to his apartment.

He had run up the stairs, not wanting to stop for the elevator, and now his legs were aching terribly. He fumbled with his key as he tried to push it into the lock, and fell into his apartment gasping for breath. In a blur, he stumbled towards the kitchen and opened the cupboard above the sink, grabbing the first bottle of alcohol his hands came across.

He didn't bother with a glass, just opened the bottle and drank straight from it, wincing as the bitter liquid seared down his throat. He had no idea why, but he was crying. _He_ felt betrayed. He had been so close to kissing Blaine but had felt guilty because he knew that Blaine was in what he had thought was a loving relationship with Sebastian. And now it turned out that Sebastian had been cheating on Blaine, with none other than his high school ex-boyfriend.

He could have kissed him. He could have done it and it wouldn't have mattered because Sebastian had cheated first, and Kurt was convinced that he could be a better boyfriend to Blaine. And he could. But never would. There was no way Blaine would be jumping into a relationship now, let alone with him.

He was supposed to be Blaine's best friend, not his lover.

* * *

**Drama drama drama! Poor Blaine :( x**

**Just a little note: A friend of mine (y'know, that one who's my beta reader?) sent me this thing she found from this dear website about how M rated stuff is only allowed to be adult language/themes/suggestions and stuff, which I do, but any detailed description of physical contact of either a sexual or violent nature is not supposed to be allowed (despite the fact that I have personally read several Klainefics that are brimming with smut). However, I must admit I was a little releived as (for now) I'm not exactly sure how I feel about writing anything too detailed, so I will keep it suggestive for now, and who knows? I could be adding some actual Klaine smut in another fanfic if I feel more comfortable with it by then!**

**I'm also going over the plot for a possible new story, and I do actually have another on hold, so I may be uploading them soon! I'll let you know when I plan on uploading them nearer to the time, and yes - they are both Klaine :) Let's face it; they are my OTP 3**

**Until next time, C xx**


	13. The Argument

**Chapter 13! This chapter does contain a lot of angry!Blaine, which I must admit was so fun to write! It does get a little heated, but this fic is rated M anyway so it doesn't matter :D**

**This chapter is dedicated to my friend RainySunnyEnding as it is her birthday today :) C xx**

* * *

Kurt sat on the sofa with his knees up to his chest, hugging his leg. It had been over an hour since he had left Blaine's apartment, the clock slowly edging towards twelve, and he was now being questioned by Rachel, asking him what _exactly_ had happened that morning.

"Rachel, I've already told you what I know," He mumbled, his gaze fixed to a spot on the floor. "I can't tell you anything other than that."

"But did he _actually_ cheat on Blaine?" Rachel was saying, pacing back and forth whilst Finn watched her from where he sat next to Kurt.

"I don't know," Kurt groaned, pressing his forehead into his knee. "He didn't say as much, but it seemed like Blaine was convinced that he had."

"Maybe they _did_ just meet at the airport-"

"Don't tell me you're _sticking up for him_?" Kurt sat upright, staring at Rachel. She stopped pacing and turned to him.

"I never _said_ that," She muttered. "I just said that it's _possible_."

"Well, don't," Kurt muttered looking at the floor again.

"I don't see why _you're_ getting so worked up about this," Finn said to Kurt. "It's not like he's _your_ boyfriend. It's not as if he cheated on _you_." Rachel and Kurt both turned to look at him and stared at him for a few seconds.

"It's not as simple as that, Finn," Kurt said softly.

"Well I think it is-"

"Well, it's not, okay?"

"But, _why_?"

Kurt didn't know what to say; was it really just that simple? _Was_ he just getting too worked up about it? _Because I like Blaine_, a small voice in the back of his mind said, and he felt a knot in his chest. _Do I?_ Kurt asked himself. He thought back to that morning, the exhilaration he had felt when he thought that Blaine was going to kiss him – a detail he had left out in his recount to Rachel. He remembered how he had been crying when he got home, how Rachel had found him leaning on the counter with tear-stained cheeks. He knew that he felt something deeper for Blaine, a sense of protectiveness but also of caring – caring more than he had for anyone else. He wanted to be with Blaine right now rather than in his apartment with Rachel and Finn. All of those feelings he had putting aside came rushing back to him, and he knew now that yes, he _did_ like Blaine.

* * *

Walking along 29th Street, Blaine zipped his jacket up a little higher against the wind that had picked up. He wasn't sure where exactly he was headed, but he knew that the further away he was from his apartment, the better. He had walked out about ten minutes ago, leaving Sebastian stood in the middle of the living room. He wanted to forget about it all, but the whole scene just kept replaying in his mind…

* * *

"_Blaine," A voice to the left of him whispered, having an instant soothing effect on him. He turned to see Kurt, who looked absolutely terrified. "Blaine, I think I should leave now." Kurt moved towards the door, waving slightly as he dashed out of the apartment and disappeared down the hall. Blaine wanted to chase after him, to bring him back. His heart sank and he took a few steps towards the door, but stopped when his gaze fixed back onto Jeremiah, and then down to Sebastian who was slowly getting up off of the floor._

"_Blaine, please," Sebastian wept, coming towards him again, slowly this time. "Don't- Don't do this. I love you."_

"_You didn't answer my question." Blaine glared at him, stepping away from him. "Did you even _go_ to Wisconsin?"_

"_Blaine-"_

"_Well?"_

_Sebastian just looked at him, breathing deeply. His eyes were red from crying, and his lip was trembling. "No." He finally whispered. Blaine felt as if he had knives in his chest; he couldn't breathe and his vision was starting to blur, his eyes stinging from holding back tears. He turned away from Sebastian and went to go into the bedroom, but changed his mind and turned back._

"_Where did you go?" His voice was barely above a whisper._

"_Seattle."_

"_Did you go with him?" Blaine didn't have to point this time; Sebastian knew who he was referring to. The man was still stood in the doorway, shyly watching the exchange between the two men. Sebastian sobbed as he nodded and Blaine let his tears escape. He felt sick at what he was about to ask, but he had to know._

"_Did you sleep with him?"_

_Sebastian stared at him, stumbling over his words. That was enough for Blaine to know that, yes; Sebastian had slept with his ex. But Blaine needed to hear him _say_ it._

"_Come on, Seb," He derided. "Did you sleep with him, huh? Did you?" He pushed Sebastian's shoulders slightly, making him stumble backwards. "Did you fuck him? Tell me!" And with a final shove Sebastian fell onto the sofa that was behind him, his head buried in his hands. Blaine took a few steps back and turned to look out the window, watching the people and cars on the streets below. His thoughts turned to Kurt and how he was out there, somewhere. He felt horrible; Kurt had been caught in the crossfire, and now he was gone. Blaine wondered if he would see him again. He really hoped that he would._

_He turned back to see Jeremiah with his arm around Sebastian on the sofa trying to soothe him as he cried._

"_You have got to be _fucking_ kidding me!" Blaine laughed bitterly, causing Sebastian and Jeremiah to look up at him. He glared at Sebastian, knowing that if he looked at Jeremiah he wouldn't be able to hold himself back from breaking something, specifically Jeremiah's jaw. _

"_Blaine, please," Sebastian whispered, his voice hoarse and cracking. "We can talk about this properly. Just calm down."_

"_You want me to _calm down_?" Blaine scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "Ok, I'm calm," He took a deep breath. "See? Calm. Now we can talk about this-"_

"_Blaine-"_

"_Was he top or bottom?" He jabbed his finger towards Jeremiah, and watched as Sebastian cried silently. "Come on, Seb, you said we could talk about this, so let's talk about it! Why so quiet, huh?"_

"_Blaine, stop-"_

"_Come on, was he top or bottom? Or – a better question – was he better than me? Did he make you feel better than I did, huh?" He was starting to cry himself now, but he was so livid and distraught that he couldn't stop himself. "Was he a better fuck than me? Is he better between the sheets, huh?" He took a step backwards and looked around the apartment; the apartment he had shared with Sebastian for the past five years, taking in all of the things they had bought together when he thought they were happy. He saw the photos on the bookshelf and glared at them. Walking over, he focused on the one of him and Sebastian the year before; the one Kurt had picked up earlier that morning. He grabbed it from the shelf, the frame cold in his hand, and turned to Sebastian. _

"_What about this, hmm?" He showed the picture to Sebastian, who was still sat frozen on the sofa. He looked up at the picture; Blaine had never seen him so vulnerable before. "Were you ever happy with me?"_

"_Of course I was!" Sebastian cried, moving away from Jeremiah and stepping towards Blaine. _

"_Were you though? Were you really?" Blaine looked at the photograph himself, remembering suddenly how they had gotten together; Sebastian had only broken up with Jeremiah a few weeks beforehand, and was probably still on the rebound. At first their affiliation had mainly been sex, but Blaine had pushed it to something more; to a relationship. Sebastian had been distant at first, but Blaine put it down to him being wary of entering a new relationship so soon after his last one had ended, especially when Sebastian began to relax after a few weeks. "Were you ever over him?"_

_Blaine looked up to see Sebastian tearfully gazing at the picture in his hands, and knew his answer. No, Sebastian had never _really _been over Jeremiah; it's just that Blaine was everything he had wanted, only in the wrong body. _

"_How long?" He asked quietly, looking back to the picture, trying to remember what it felt like to be a part of that happy couple smiling back at him._

"_Four months." Sebastian croaked in reply, tears still streaming down his face. Blaine closed his eyes tightly, begging for the tears not to fall. But when he heard the light drop of it hitting the glass over the picture, he felt his grip tighten as if he was trying desperately to hold onto the happy memory. _

_And then it had all happened so quickly. He heard the smash first; his body had given in to the sobs that he had been pushing down into his chest, his knees had gone weak and his hands let go of the frame. The glass had smashed upon impact with the floor, shards of it scattered around Blaine's feet and over the picture. And then he had opened his eyes to see himself surrounded by shattered pictures, frames and memories lying broken on the floor; he had pulled them all off the shelf in anger._

"_Hey, steady!" Jeremiah had stepped forwards to try and calm him down, holding out a hand to place on his shoulder as the glass crunched beneath his feet. Blaine turned on him, glaring at him as he stepped towards him._

"_You get the fuck out of my house!" Blaine yelled, grabbing Jeremiah by the collar and pulling him towards the door._

"_Blaine!" Sebastian cried out, standing again. Blaine turned to glare at him, and upon seeing the expression his face slowly let go of Jeremiah's collar. _

"_You make me sick," He mumbled to Jeremiah before stalking off to his bedroom. He opened his wardrobe and grabbed a jacket before walking back out into the apartment, heading straight for the door. _

"_Blaine, where are you going?" Sebastian attempted to follow him, but only stumbled forwards a few steps._

"_Away from here," He retorted, turning to glare at Sebastian. He took in how Jeremiah was now standing next to Sebastian, and felt another crippling blow in his chest. "I hope you two are very happy together." He jeered before turning and walking out, pulling the door shut behind him. _

* * *

Kurt was still sat in the same position he had been in five minutes ago, still reeling from his revelation. He _liked_ Blaine, and although it sounded childish it was the only way that could describe it. Rachel and Finn had been talking next to him, but he hadn't really been listening to what they had been saying. He had picked up on a few words, but when he put them together they didn't make any sense and he had no idea if had actually heard them.

"Kurt?" Rachel had noticed that he was silent and was now looking at him with concern. "Kurt, are you okay?" She sat herself down on the other side of him to Finn, gently placing her hand on his back. He nodded silently, and she looked at Finn, silently asking him what she should say or do next. But he just shrugged, and so Rachel turned back to Kurt. "Do you want to talk about it?" This time Kurt didn't nod his head, but he didn't shake it either; he just sat still, staring at the floor. Rachel thought for a few seconds before silently shooing Finn out of the room. He protested at first, but after a stern look from his fiancée he conceded and left.

"Kurt, it's just me now," She soothed, trying to get into his line of vision. "Are you sure you don't want to talk?"

Under her hand she felt her best friend sigh heavily, and then he sat up and looked at her. He looked pained, upset. Rachel hated seeing him upset and pulled him in for a hug, for once not caring that he wouldn't tell her why he was distressed. Kurt leant his head on her shoulder and let her wrap her arms around him.

In the background, they heard Kurt's Blackberry vibrate against the table, and they both looked up at it, neither of them making a move to pick it up. Rachel glanced between the phone and Kurt, but she could tell that he wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

"Want me to see who it's from?" She asked quietly, moving slightly towards the phone. Kurt nodded silently and she reached out to gently pick up his phone, glancing at the screen. Her eyes snapped up to Kurt's, but he couldn't read her expression; she seemed confused, scared and surprised all in one go, and he felt his heart beat quicken.

"Who is it?" He whispered.

"It's Blaine," She replied, looking back down at the screen. "Do you want to read it?" She offered his phone out to him, but he shook his head and pushed it back.

"You read it."

"You sure?" Her finger hesitated over the button, and she looked up at Kurt. He nodded silently and she pressed 'Ok', the message opening and filling the screen.

"_Kurt, I left him,_" she read, looking up at Kurt to register his reaction, but he just stared at the floor. Internally, his heart was racing and his head was swimming. "_And now I'm just walking around New York on my own. Can I see you? I need to talk to someone and I don't know who else to go to. Blaine xx_" She looked at the message for a few more seconds before looking up to Kurt. "Are you going to go and see him?"

Kurt continued to stare at the floor; he needed to think this over. He wanted to go to Blaine so badly, to comfort him and to be there for him, but he didn't want to have to confront his feelings for him. He knew that as soon as he saw Blaine again they would all come rushing back, and he wasn't sure if he could deal with another wave of attack from them. But if he didn't go and see Blaine, he would be letting him down, leaving him to walk around the city on his own when he should really be with a friend. He turned to Rachel and requested his phone. She placed it in his upturned hand and he looked at the message for himself, taking in the kisses at the end that nearly made his heart stop.

He hit reply and his fingers hovered over the keypad. He stared at the cursor on the screen as it blinked at him, deciding what to say.

"_Sure,_" He finally typed. "_Where are you? Xx_" He hit send and watched little envelope on the screen until 'SENT' came up on the screen. He felt cold with adrenaline as he waited for the reply. It came almost instantly.

"_Clement Clarke Moore Park xx_" Kurt's stomach flipped; that was only 10 minutes away from his apartment. He looked to Rachel. "He's in Clement Clarke Moore," He whispered. Her eyes widened, surprised, and then she pulled him up from the sofa and led him out to the kitchen, passing a confused Finn along the way, grabbing his jacket and pushing him towards the door.

"Go and see him, Kurt," She instructed. "He needs you." Kurt nodded, slowly at first but then he started to gain enthusiasm; Blaine needed him, and he wasn't about to give up on him. Tugging on his jacket, he opened the door, grabbed his keys and left. He put his keys in his pocket and made his way to the stairs, typing out a reply to Blaine as he went.

"_Be there in ten xx_" Send.

* * *

Blaine sat on his own, watching couples and families pass by him on the bench where he sat. They looked happy; they looked in love. His chest ached and his head was pounding from crying, but for now he had managed to calm himself to just allowing a few silent tears to occasionally run down his cheeks. He looked back to the clock on his phone - _12:27_. It had been just over ten minutes since Kurt had told him he was on his way, and Blaine looked up around him helplessly; he still wasn't here yet.

* * *

Kurt ran into Clement Clarke Moore Park and looked about him, desperately searching out Blaine. He looked between the happy families and loved-up couples, hunting for the dark-haired, handsome man who was waiting for him.

After what felt like an hour, Kurt's gaze finally landed upon the form of Blaine Anderson, sat by himself on the other side of the park. He ran over to him, wishing that Blaine would just _look up_ already and see him there. He came to a stop in front of him, less than a metre between them, and Blaine looked silently up at him.

Kurt's heart broke at the sight; Blaine looked up at him with big, puppy-dog eyes that were brimming with tears, his cheeks were wet from crying and his bottom lip was trembling. Kurt sat next to him and wordlessly pulled him into his embrace just as Blaine broke down crying again.

Kurt let him cry in his arms; he was here to be his friend, and he had to push aside his urges to silence the man in his arms with a kiss.

"I'm sorry – for putting you – in that – horrible situation-" Blaine sobbed, gasping for air in between words, but Kurt hushed him.

"It wasn't your fault, Blaine," He soothed, hugging him closer. "None of it was."

They sat together for another ten minutes before Blaine realised the time. "Oh my God!" He gasped, sitting up straight and making to leave. "I, the matinee- I'm late for work!" He got up to leave, but Kurt was having none of it.

"Blaine, sit down." His voice was firm and demanded attention – it was his teacher voice. Blaine stopped in his tracks and turned on his heel to look at Kurt, not expecting the voice that had come from his mouth. He raised an eyebrow, but Kurt didn't smile; he gave him the stare he used on his students when he wanted them to know he was being serious, and it looked as if it was having the same effect on Blaine. "Give me your phone." He said, his voice level and calm. Blaine chuckled initially, not believing what he was hearing, but gave over his phone nonetheless.

Kurt scrolled through his contacts to find Sue, the manager of the Palace Theatre and Blaine's boss. He pressed dial and held the phone to his ear, all the while Blaine watching him with complete curiosity, albeit combined with a small drop of fear. He listened to the dial tone, waiting for Sue to pick up, and moved away from the bench when Blaine stepped forward to try and listen.

"Anderson!" Sue's voice barked down the phone, making Kurt jump. "Where the hell are you? The show's about to start! Y'know what? Never mind, I'm putting Trent on in your place. You better be here tonight or I'll fire your goddamn ass-"

"Um, Blaine won't be making tonight either." Kurt said quietly, still quite scared of Sue even when she was on the other side of a satellite connection.

"What?" She yelled again. "Who is this?"

"I said, Blaine won't be coming in tonight, either," Kurt repeated whilst dodging Blaine as he tried to take his phone back.

"Excuse me? Why the hell not?"

"I'm afraid he's had a bit of a personal dilemma and he is in no fit state to perform," Kurt explained, putting on his 'professional' voice that he used to use when enquiring about interviews before he got his job at NYADA. "Don't worry, he isn't ill or injured, but he has been deeply shaken emotionally and will need at least twenty-four hours to recover. He'll be in work tomorrow, though," He raised an eyebrow at Blaine. "_That_, I can assure you."

* * *

Blaine stood by, watching Kurt like how a schoolboy watches his mom when she's telling the school he's ill and needs a day off. Kurt spoke for a little while longer before hanging up the phone and handing it back to Blaine, smiling smugly.

"I got you the day off work," He said proudly. "So you're going to come to mine and we're going to talk over what happened this morning. I don't want you being on your own tonight."

Blaine smiled and sighed to himself. He knew he could depend on Kurt; even after all these years, Kurt was still the quiet, sensible one looking after the louder, more impulsive Blaine. He took Kurt's outstretched hand and gave it a squeeze, and Kurt smiled, pulling him along with him. Kurt let go of Blaine's hand and linked his arm through his, making Blaine laugh the whole way back to his apartment.


	14. Sleeping Beauty

**Just want to say thank you - again! - for reviews/alerts! Love you guys so much, and I honest-to-God didn't think this story would go this far. Obviously I didn't want to just stop writing it, but I think if I hadn't had so much support from you guys I would have finished it a while ago with a really rubbish ending to save myself the time.**

**Aslo, I went to the Warner Bros. Studio Tours yesterday with my dad and my step-family and it was AWESOME! Butterbeer is delicious! Plus the stuff there was sooo coooool! :) I even got a replica of Luna's wand! (I love Luna - if I had to liken myself to any HP character, it would probably be her. I love her quirky-ness!) So yeah, I'll let you read the chapter now... C xx**

* * *

Kurt found the apartment surprisingly quiet when he let himself in, Blaine following behind him. "Rachel?" He called out, glancing around the kitchen and peering into the living room as he took his jacket off and hung it up by the front door. Blaine shuffled in behind him and softly shut the door, standing awkwardly as he watched Kurt hunt for his roommate. "Hmm," Kurt frowned, coming back over to Blaine. "I guess she must have gone out or something." He checked his phone to find a text from Rachel. He opened it hastily, curious about where she could have gone in the thirty minutes that he was out of the house.

_Gone to library to print off some work for class tomorrow. Finn's with me, too. Will be back by two. R xxxx_

Kurt typed out a quick reply and put his phone back in his pocket, becoming aware of Blaine's presence. "Oh, Blaine, I'm sorry! Take your jacket off; make yourself at home." He smiled, playing the host as he gestured towards the living room.

"Thanks for this, Kurt," Blaine smiled softly, shrugging his jacket off and hanging up as Kurt had done. "I know it's a little weird, us only having met again on Tuesday-"

"Blaine, don't be so silly." Kurt told him, leading the way into the living room and plopping himself down on the sofa. Blaine followed and sat timidly next to Kurt, sitting further forward with his hands in his lap, not sure of himself in this strange apartment. "And anyway, I'd rather it was weird and I was helping you rather than me not helping you at all." He placed his hand on Blaine's shoulder and moved slightly closer to him, smiling reassuringly when Blaine turned to look at him. "Now please relax, you're putting me on edge." He laughed as he pulled Blaine backwards so that he was leaning against the back of the sofa.

Their laughter trailed off and they were left in silence, neither of them sure exactly where to start or what words to use to do so. Blaine broke the silence.

"I know it's probably best if I talk about… what happened, but could we talk about something else for a while?" He looked to Kurt, who saw that his deep hazel eyes contained a mixture of hope and despair. "I just, don't think I can deal with _that_ right now." Blaine mumbled, looking down to his hands in his lap.

"Of course we can talk about something else." Kurt replied, a little disappointed to find that he had no conversation topics suddenly spring to mind. By the look on his face, neither did Blaine. "So…" He started, dragging out the word in an attempt to fill some more silence, but instead heightening the level of awkwardness in the room. He felt heat creep up his neck, but luckily Blaine wasn't looking at him to see him turn a faint shade of red.

"Where did you go to school?" Blaine asked, turning to a slightly bewildered Kurt.

"What?"

"Well, I told you about Dalton," Blaine reasoned, grimacing at the other memories that his high school dragged along with it. "I wanna know where you went." He turned his body to sit sideways so that he was fully facing Kurt, rather similar to how they had been sat that morning. "Seems only fair." He added with a smile.

"William McKinley High School." Kurt stated, not really sure how to elaborate any further. "I was in the glee club there-"

"The New Directions?" Blaine asked, his eyes shining in what looked like awe.

"Yeah…" Kurt narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Oh my God!" Blaine exclaimed, laughing as he sat upright with a newfound enthusiasm. "I was at Regionals 2012! You guys were amazing!"

"Really?" Kurt beamed with pride.

"Yeah!" Blaine was beaming too, and nodding enthusiastically. "I mean, I was there to support The Warblers and-" He stopped suddenly, and his smile disappeared. "And Sebastian." He added quietly, moving away so that he was sat with his back against the sofa again. He sighed heavily and leant forward, running his hands through his hair and then settling with his hands intertwined behind his neck.

"Blaine," Kurt leant forwards and placed his hand on Blaine's shoulder, rubbing in small circular motions for a few moments before speaking again. "Are you sure you don't want to-"

"I'm sorry about this morning." Blaine suddenly sat up and looked Kurt in the face. A few tears were trailing down his cheeks, and Kurt instinctively grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table and reached out to wipe them away.

"Don't you dare, okay?" Kurt looked Blaine in the eyes, smiling softly as he gently wiped away the tears on the dark-haired man's cheeks. Blaine closed his eyes and moved his face towards the touch, but Kurt didn't think anything of it. "What happened this morning was _not_ your fault. You didn't know that Sebastian was cheating-"

"I'm not talking about that." Blaine's eyes snapped open, and Kurt flinched back slightly. He dropped his hand into his lap and stared at Blaine, trying to figure out what he could possibly be apologizing for. Blaine took in his confused expression and, seeing that Kurt had no idea what he was talking about, decided to explain. "I'm sorry for nearly kissing you." Kurt opened his mouth to protest, but Blaine continued before he could say anything. "I don't know what came over me, and it was an awful position to put you in. I promise you it will never happen again." Blaine was looking at his hands, but Kurt couldn't tell if he looked shy or guilty. He didn't know what to say; he hadn't exactly been upset that Blaine had nearly kissed him, but he hadn't really been disappointed that he hadn't, either.

"Ok." He managed to say quietly, still watching Blaine. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both caught up in their own thoughts. Kurt realised that he had slowly been pulling apart the tissue that was in his hands, shreds of white now scattered across his lap. He collected them up and stood up, walking across the room to the bin that he had put in once Finn started to make regular visits.

"Kurt?" Blaine's voice made him jump; it was quiet, but there was a hint of curiosity in it that spoke volumes. Kurt turned to him and moved back over to the sofa beside him. He looked at Blaine expectantly, waiting for him to speak again, but Blaine seemed to have lost his nerve.

"Yes?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter." Blaine shook his head and returned to looking at his hands, softly rubbing the palm of his right hand with the thumb of his left.

"Blaine," Blaine looked up again, and Kurt raised an eyebrow at him. "Tell me. You can tell me anything, remember?" He took Blaine's hand in his, keeping his gaze on Blaine's face. His expression seemed to soften as soon as their skin made contact, and his cheeks coloured slightly.

"I was just going to ask," He swallowed and frowned, his brow furrowing slightly as he chose his words. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"What?" Kurt was not expecting that at all. "Why- Why would I think you were stupid?"

"Because I stayed with him for so long." Blaine mumbled, his voice catching slightly in his throat as he spoke.

"What do you mean?" Blaine sat silently for a while, avoiding Kurt's concerning gaze until finally, he spoke.

"Well, me and Seb… We weren't exactly, happy. At least, I don't think Sebastian was." He took a deep breath, steadying himself to stop his voice from wavering. "I knew things were a little off; I mean, he'd started moving his clothes into the spare room ages ago, thinking that I didn't notice. We barely sleep in the same bed anymore, and whenever I tried to ask him about it he just said that he needed a little space. But as soon as friends or family came over he was happy again, and I felt like we were an actual couple again. But then everything went back to normal and I tried my best to make him happy again but I had to find work and then I got _West Side Story_ and I had to rehearse and practice and train all the time and we hardly had any time together-" Kurt pulled Blaine into a tight hug as he took a deep breath, his voice straining from saying so much in so little time. While he was talking tears had begun to glide down over his cheeks, but Kurt didn't bother trying to wipe them away this time; instead he let them fall. He could tell that Blaine had been holding these thoughts in for a while, and they desperately needed to be let out.

"This wasn't your fault, Blaine," Kurt reminded him softly, resting his chin on Blaine's head as he tightened his embrace on his friend. "You said yourself that you tried to get your relationship to work. None of this is your fault."

"But I could have talked to him," Blaine whined tearfully, his voice muffled slightly as he buried his head in Kurt's chest. "I could have asked him what was wrong."

"But you _did_, Blaine. You did and you tried but Sebastian was just too ignorant to realise how much he meant to you." Blaine was silent then for a while, and Kurt hoped that he had said all the right things to comfort him. Blaine then mumbled something into Kurt's shirt, but the only way that Kurt could have noticed was due to the slight vibration of Blaine's voice against his chest; his voice was almost inaudible. "What was that?" He asked, leaning backwards to try to look at Blaine to get him to repeat his words.

Blaine sat back and brushed a few tears away from his cheeks, wiping his nose with the back of his hand and sniffing loudly. "I just don't understand why he wouldn't talk to me." He looked up at Kurt. "Why wouldn't he talk to me?" His voice was barely above a whisper, and Kurt could see that he was dangerously close to breaking down crying again. He shifted closer and put his arm around Blaine, and they sat together in silence as Blaine rested his head on Kurt's shoulder.

* * *

The shutting of the front door caused Kurt to jolt awake. He hadn't even realised that he'd fallen asleep, and upon looking down he saw that Blaine was snoring lightly against his stomach. He wearily raised his head, his neck and shoulders stiff from the position he had been sleeping in, and looked towards the door.

No-one appeared.

He began to wonder if he had imagined it and lazily checked his watch for the time, trying not to move too much so as to not wake Blaine. _2:07pm_. Kurt looked up again when he heard footsteps in the kitchen, coming through to the living room.

"Kurt?" Rachel appeared in the doorway, and her eyes widened when she saw Blaine asleep in Kurt's arms. "Kurt, what is going on-?"

"Shh!" Kurt hissed, trying to keep his voice quiet. "Blaine's asleep."

"Yeah, I can see that." Rachel whispered sarcastically in return, moving further into the room. "May I ask as to _why_?" She sat herself on the coffee table in front of the sofa Kurt was on, regarding Blaine's sleeping figure with what looked like adoration.

"Well I went out to see him," Kurt explained, no longer whispering but keeping his voice soft. "And he was _very_ upset, as you can imagine, and so I brought him back here so that we could talk and somehow we just… fell asleep." He looked back down to Blaine again and smiled at his sleeping expression, feeling a pang in his chest as he did so.

"He looks adorable." She whispered, leaning forward slightly to get a better view of Blaine as he slept. Kurt could only nod in agreement; he felt that talking anymore about Blaine whilst he slept was rude, and so decided to change the topic.

"Where's Finn?" He asked.

"Oh, erm," Rachel looked about her, suddenly aware of the absence of her fiancé. "Oh, he's in the kitchen." She said, suddenly remembering. "I think he said he was hungry. Again." She rolled her eyes at how much food Finn consumed over the course of a day, and Kurt giggled at her exasperation.

Blaine began to stir in Kurt's lap, and Kurt hurriedly gestured for Rachel to leave the room. She sighed and walked out into the kitchen just as Blaine's eyes fluttered open.

"Morning, sunshine," Kurt teased as Blaine squinted up at him.

"Huh?" He blinked a few times and stared up at Kurt, completely dazed and confused. "Did I fall asleep?"

"We both did," Kurt smiled, and Blaine smiled sleepily in return.

"Sorry about that," He chuckled as he sat up again. "Were you talking to someone?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes blearily.

"Yeah, Rachel," Kurt stood up and stretched, arching his back until he felt satisfied. "She came in a second ago. She and Finn are in the kitchen." He dropped his arms back to his sides and turned to Blaine, who was stretching his arms above his head. "Are you hungry at all? I think Finn is raiding our fridge again as we speak."

Blaine chuckled, his smile lighting up his face despite how sleepy he was. "I think I could handle something to eat." He smiled, standing up to follow Kurt out into the kitchen.

* * *

**I will be honest, I don't exactly love this chapter. Or chapter 15, which I'm writing now. It's not due to the plot or anything, it's more that I don't like the way I wrote it. Chapters 14 and 15 were mainly written whilst suffering from horrible writer's block, so hopefully it will clear up before Thursday so I can make the ending to 15 a good one. **

**I did my Maths Non-Calc GCSE paper today - that's probably why I'm all stressy! - and I have the calculator paper on Wednesday in the morning, so hopefully the relief of that being over will wash over my writer's block and defeat it!**

**I've started a few drabble one-shots, which I may resort to for ideas I get while writing this, just to keep you guys interested while I busy myself with SC, so they may be uploaded soooon :)**

**Any ideas for a chapter title? I sat staring at this for a good 10 minutes before uploading it but my mind is still refusing to offer any ideas! Suggestions in reviews please? x**

**My gosh I'm rambling now! I'll sign off now, and if you want to PM me about anything, whether it's story or just general fangirl/boy-ing about Klaine, Glee or whatever you want, feel free to :)**

**C xx**


	15. Roommates

**Oh my god I'm sorry this is later than expected! Please don't think I forgot! In fact I've really only just finished this over and had it approved by my friend/beta reader! Like I said on Monday, these chapters have been really hard for me to write and I had terrible WB with this chapter, so I've been writing little bits over the past few days and then I finally broke through today and wrote the second half of this in about three hours. That sounds like a long time, but I also had a little problem with my laptop telling me there was a security risk every 2 minutes and so I had to hurriedly update my Norton Antivirus stuff. *Sigh***

**Oh well, it's here now! And I'm sorry if it's not up to standard - I had my maths exams this week and I've been freaking out about them for the past few weeks! **

* * *

"Well, that was lovely." Blaine smiled as he rested his knife and fork on his plate, leaning back in his chair. Kurt smiled from across the table, just finishing the last bite of his own food before standing up to take both of their plates to the sink.

Upon entering the kitchen earlier they had found Finn helping himself to the contents of Kurt and Rachel's fridge, his fiancée scolding him from the table of how many calories she could only estimate were in all the food that he ate. Rachel had since left for her bedroom to prepare her class work for the following day, leaving Finn to entertain himself. Seeing that Kurt and Blaine had left the living room, Finn had called 'dibs' on the television and seconds later the apartment was filled with the sound of cheering as Finn watched some football game or another.

Kurt had then ordered Blaine to 'sit down and leave lunch to me', ignoring Blaine's protests that he had promised to cook lunch for him today. But he had to admire how quickly Kurt could put together a dish, and even though it was only a pasta salad it was one the freshest meals Blaine had eaten in a long time.

Blaine stood up and moved towards the kitchen, eager to help Kurt tidy up in return for the food he had prepared him, but once again he was directed back to the table. "You are my guest, Blaine," Kurt told him. "I will not have you partake in housework."

"But I _want_ to help," Blaine moaned. "Just let me do _something_." He stood next to Kurt, leaning against the countertop as he watched Kurt immerse his hands into the hot water. Kurt eyed him sideways and Blaine pouted back. Against such a childish expression, Kurt could only hold his stern expression for so long and eventually gave in, letting out the laugh that he had tried so hard to hold back.

"Fine, you can dry." Kurt grabbed a tea towel from where it was hung on the cupboard door next to the sink and threw it lightly toward Blaine, smiling as it landed on his chest. Blaine smiled and took the towel in his hands, the two of silently working together until everything was washed and dried.

* * *

"So," Kurt said quietly as he pulled out the plug and watched the water in the sink slowly disappear. "This morning, you and… How'd it go?" He turned to Blaine, and felt slightly guilty when he saw that his friend's smile had vanished, only to be replaced by a sorrowful, almost painful, frown.

"It was… I mean, obviously it was, erm… hard." Blaine looked to the floor, wringing the towel in his hands as he thought about the argument he had had with Sebastian after Kurt had left. "We… argued- Well, more like I yelled at him and he just fucking sat there and took it." He twisted the towel harshly and Kurt could see the material straining. He reached out and gently removed the towel from Blaine's grip before it got torn, hanging it back on the cupboard handle. "Sorry," Blaine mumbled. He ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck, breathing deeply to calm himself down.

"But, you ended it with him, right?" Kurt asked, a little more hope in his voice than he intended to show. Blaine looked up at him with a blank expression and then began to frown.

"Well of course I did," He retorted. "It's not exactly something you can forgive easily, is it?" Kurt was taken aback by his tone and shifted uneasily. "I'm sorry, Kurt," Blaine sighed, realising and looking up. "It's not your fault, I just- I guess I'm still in shock."

"It's okay," Kurt reassured him, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it, yet?" Blaine sighed again and looked anywhere but at Kurt. He was still reeling from earlier and his emotions were all over the place. He opened his mouth to talk, but was interrupted before any words could escape his lips.

"Hi, Blaine," Rachel smiled sympathetically as she came into the room, coming over and wrapping her arms around him before Kurt could stop her. She held him close to her and squeezed slightly, catching by surprise. He looked to Kurt, who was just as shocked as he was, before cautiously returning the hug. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Rachel pulled away and held Blaine at arm's length, peering up at him with friendly concern. "How are you doing?" She asked, her tone almost patronizing as she tilted her head to the side.

"I'm… okay," He replied, trying to gently ease his way out of her grip. He felt a little uncomfortable with this girl he had never met before randomly hugging him, let alone knowing his name and being aware of the fact that he was in need of comfort. He'd already guessed that Kurt had told this girl about him and Sebastian by the way she had greeted him, her voice full of sympathy. But he hadn't expected her to be so… forward, especially to a stranger. He looked up at Kurt to see him with his hand over his mouth, obviously trying to hide his amusement but failing at it miserably. Blaine felt his cheeks flush and looked back to the girl, who was still smiling up at him. He wasn't exactly sure if he was comfortable with her knowing more about his personal life than he did about hers, but he didn't have a choice in the matter. "You must be Rachel." He held his hand out to her and she raised an eyebrow at him, obviously not satisfied with his form of greeting, but shook it anyway.

"I am," She smiled widely, fluttering her eyelashes ever so slightly. Kurt rolled his eyes behind her so that Rachel couldn't see, and Blaine smirked as Rachel turned around to see what he was laughing at, Kurt raising his hands in defence and denying that he had done anything.

"I just want to say how much I _loved_ you in West Side Story on Sunday," Rachel gushed, turning back to Blaine and blushing ever so slightly.

"Erm, thanks," Blaine blushed himself, not used to being confronted by fans.

"No problem," She smiled, trying to act casual. Both Kurt and Blaine had expected her to leave then, but instead Rachel remained where she stood, smiling up at Blaine.

"Look, Rach, I'm sure Blaine is _very_ glad to meet you," Kurt stepped forward and took her by the shoulders, steering her away from Blaine. "But now is not the time, okay?" She pouted at him before turning abruptly and going into the living room to join her fiancé.

"So, where were we?" Kurt turned back to Blaine, coming over to stand next to him and leaning against the countertop.

"I think I was just about to spill my guts out about this morning?" Blaine half-smiled, but Kurt could tell that he was far from happy talking about it.

"Ah yes," Kurt straightened up slightly, his expression going from joking to concerned. "I remember. Want to sit down?" He gestured towards the table and Blaine nodded, deciding that if he was going to cry it would be easier to have the chair and table for support, rather than letting his knees buckle beneath him.

They sat opposite each other; it made it easier to talk that way and it just seemed to work for them. Blaine had no idea where to begin – the whole affair (pardon the pun) was still sinking in, and he wasn't exactly sure he'd fully understood it at the time – but luckily for him Kurt had some idea of at least how to start this difficult conversation.

"So, how are you feeling now? Y'know, now a few hours have passed."

It took Blaine a few minutes to think about his answer because, in all honesty, he wasn't sure how he felt about it all right now. Of course, he was utterly _heartbroken_, but he almost felt… _relieved_. For months his relationship with Sebastian had been dwindling, hanging on a thread that could snap at any moment, and Blaine was certain that it was _his_ fault – at least now he knew the reason behind Sebastian's distance from him. However, he still couldn't completely believe that none of this was his fault; he _must_ have done something for Sebastian to turn to an affair.

"Stop it, Blaine." Kurt suddenly said, eyeing him closely.

"Stop what?"

"Stop blaming yourself for this. None of it was your fault, okay?" Blaine's jaw almost hit the floor. How could Kurt have possibly known what he was thinking about?

"How did you-?"

"Because it's written all over your face," Kurt stated, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow and smirking slightly. "I've helped friends of mine through break-ups before; I'm not stupid - I know that look." He reached a hand across the table and took Blaine's gently, squeezing it slightly. "The only person in the blame here is Sebastian – okay two people; Jeremiah's to blame as well -" Blaine winced at the names, but Kurt just gave his hand another affectionate squeeze combined with a smile. "So don't you dare go blaming yourself. I won't allow it."

Blaine gazed at his oldest friend with – what was it? Admiration? "How'd you get to be so smart, huh?" He smiled, and Kurt blushed.

"Shut up." He demanded playfully, his cheeks still a faint shade of red. "This isn't about me," He looked Blaine in the eye. "It's about you."

Blaine sighed; he didn't want to talk about it so much anymore. The wound was still fresh and talking about was just like rubbing salt in. Annoyingly, Kurt seemed to be able to read his thoughts exactly.

"Look, I know it's hard and I'm really starting to feel like I'm bugging you for pushing you to talk about it, it's just," He paused, looking down at the table. "I don't want you to bottle it all away – trust me; it only makes it worse." The look in Kurt's eyes told Blaine that he must have had an experience in the past where he'd bottled up his emotions over something and it hadn't turned out well, but he refrained from asking about it because, quite frankly, he was a little scared of Kurt telling him off again.

They sat for a while with only the faint sounds of the TV to fill the silence between them, and at the same time seemed to realise that they were still holding hands over the table. Blaine didn't really want to let go, but Kurt pulled away before he could protest, clearing his throat awkwardly and rubbing the back of his neck.

Blaine wanted to talk about everything, get his feelings off his chest and allow himself to move on, and even though he'd only met Kurt again a few days before he felt completely at ease with him. So why was this so hard? It was almost as if he didn't want to taint their renewed friendship with the bad memories of Sebastian, but he realised that had already happened; Kurt had _been_ there this morning.

"What happened after I left?" Kurt asked quietly, and Blaine looked up from his hands on the table to see Kurt looking at him with curiosity.

Blaine shifted in his seat, remembering the argument that had broken out after Kurt's departure, and how he'd nearly thrown Jeremiah out of the apartment before leaving himself. "We… argued. A lot." He finally answered, looking back to his hands. He didn't know whether to tell Kurt about how he'd smashed all of the photos of him and Sebastian together, and how he'd had to hold himself back from causing any serious injury to the man who had caused all the commotion.

"What about Jeremiah?" Kurt asked, his eyes not quite meeting Blaine's.

"I… I had to stop myself from hitting him in the face," Kurt snorted across the table before clamping his hand across his mouth, a look of both shock and embarrassment on his face.

"Sorry," He mumbled as his cheeks burnt bright red. "It just… sounded funny. You said it so bluntly. I wasn't expecting it." He shrugged his shoulders slightly and looked away, but found his gaze snapping back to Blaine when he heard him laughing.

"No, now I think about it, it is pretty funny." Blaine shook his head slightly and ran a hand through his hair, recalling the constant look of panic on Jeremiah's face; despite Blaine being two years younger than him, Jeremiah was still wary of him after the one time he had seen Blaine actually fight anyone. But that was another story.

"So, apart from nearly hitting Jeremiah in the face, what else happened after I fled?" Kurt spoke up again, seeming to have regained some of his confidence from the awkward moment before. "Sorry about that by the way." He added quickly.

"It's okay," Blaine replied, and he meant it. "I didn't expect you to stay; that would have been weird. For the both of us." Kurt didn't say anything but nodded in agreement, and so Blaine continued. "But, after you left, I got – well, I got pretty upset. And _very_ angry. I smashed all those pictures," Kurt's eyes widened and he gasped. "And I pushed Sebastian onto the sofa and yelled in his face. That was until Jeremiah butted in and I nearly threw him out." He looked down at his hands, opening them up so that his palms were facing him, remembering the feeling of holding Jeremiah up against the door by his collar.

And then the next thing he saw was Kurt's hand in his, making him look up at the chestnut-haired boy in surprise, but he didn't draw his hand back; he liked it where it was.

"So that's it?" Kurt asked, pulling his hand away again as his goal of getting Blaine's attention had been accomplished already. "Nothing else?"

"Not really," Blaine shrugged, lacing his fingers together and setting his hands in front of him on the table rather than acknowledging how empty they felt without having someone else's hand to hold. "Just shouting and stuff that I'd really rather not repeat; it wasn't my finest hour."

"I bet," Kurt chuckled, and Blaine was relieved that he was taking it so easy on him now that he'd actually spoken up. Of course, he knew that Kurt wanted him to actually delve into his _emotions_ on the topic, but right now Kurt seemed satisfied with Blaine at least telling him what had happened.

And it was then, it that moment of silence, that Blaine realised that he had nowhere to stay tonight; there was no way that he would be going back to _that_ apartment while he was still breathing, and he couldn't expect Kurt and Rachel to put him up for the night having only just met Rachel a few moments earlier and Kurt again on Tuesday night.

"Are there any good – cheap – hotels nearby?" Blaine asked, not meeting Kurt's gaze for fear of having offended him. But he didn't need to look at Kurt to know that he had.

"Excuse me?" Blaine looked up; Kurt looked absolutely horrified at him.

"Well, I'm going to need somewhere to stay tonight," He explained, knowing that he was probably making it worse for himself but Kurt was already helping him out enough and he really couldn't ask him for anything more than being a stable shoulder for him to cry on and support him. "I'm _not_ going back… there, and I can't expect you to-"

"Blaine, shut up." This time, Kurt's tone wasn't light and playful; it was serious and Blaine knew better than to fight it. "You're staying here tonight and you know it."

"What about-"

"Rachel can go to Finn's. I'm sure they won't object to her staying over for a few nights."

"A few nights? Kurt, I can't ask you to do that-"

"Good; because whether you ask or not, you're staying here anyway." Kurt stood up from the table and headed towards the living room, most likely to check that Rachel and Finn were okay with the sudden change of arrangements. He stopped abruptly at the door and turned back to Blaine. "It may have been sixteen years since we last saw each other, Blaine," He said, his tone of voice and facial expression now much softer. "But don't for one second think that it means I care any less about you."

And before Blaine could reply Kurt had disappeared into the living room, the only thing he could hear then being the muffled voices of Kurt, Finn and Rachel and the TV, the volume of which had now increased slightly due the door being opened.

Now on his own, Blaine could allow himself to actually think over what Kurt had said to him. _Of course_ Kurt would still care about him – he still cared about Kurt – but to hear that the extent of it hadn't changed? That was what had taken him slightly by surprise. Blaine was pretty sure that, had they had their own apartments when they were nine years old and they had gone through the same – if not, similar – circumstances, Kurt would be demanding that Blaine stayed with him, even if that meant temporarily kicking out his roommate.

And Blaine knew that if the tables were turned, and Kurt had just broken up with his boyfriend of six years, he would be doing the exact same thing. It was a reassuring feeling to know that their friendship had stayed so strong over the past sixteen years despite them not seeing each other until a few days ago; it held good prospects for the future.

* * *

Kurt came back into the dining room to find Blaine smiling to himself, still sat in the same position as he had been when Kurt had left him. He opened his mouth to ask Blaine what he was smiling about, but decided not to ruin it; if Blaine had a smile on his face, what it was for didn't matter.

"It's sorted," He said, without even realising he'd been planning to say anything at all. Blaine's head shot up and it seemed to take him a few moments to snap out of his reverie and recognise Kurt, and Kurt's heart sank a little at seeing Blaine's smile disappearing. "Rachel's going to stay at Finn's for a few days and she said it's fine for you to stay in her room, so it looks like we're going to be roommates for the next few days." He grinned at Blaine; the prospect of getting to know him again after all these years was too exciting for him to hide it.

* * *

**Was that okay? Gah, I'm freaking out so much that my writing standard has declined over the past few days. My friend told me that she thought this was adorable, but I'm still a little... eh, about it. **

**Anyway, I shall stop rambling about this now and get onto Chapter 16 now. Or maybe another drabble... who knows? All I know is I wanna write Klaine, I wanna write it bad and I wanna write it now. :)**

**Reviews make me smile like a fool, and I think next chapter I'm going to start doing shout-outs for my reviewers because I love you guys so much :D 3**

**C xx**

**P.S - Oh, and thank you to RainySunnyEnding for the chapter name suggestion for chapter 14! :)**


	16. Thad

**Hey guys! Okay, so I'm really _really_ happy with this chapter. Like, _insanely_ happy. As I said for 14 & 15, I wasn't really all that keen on them, but I finished this chapter and just thought "_Yes! That was awesome!_" Hopefully you guys will prove me right :D**

**So, on with Chapter 16... :D**

* * *

_Three weeks later_

"Okay, so that's the last of it." Rachel sighed, turning back to Kurt with tears in her eyes as the last of her boxes was carried away by a huge, burly man. Kurt smiled back at her as he felt himself welling up, clasping his hands together as they stood opposite each other.

"I can't believe you're moving out." Kurt whispered, and as soon as he finished his last word both of them had tears falling down their cheeks. "Oh, I'm going to miss you _so_ much!" He exclaimed as he pulled Rachel into a hug, both of them now crying freely.

"It's not like we'll never see each other again, Kurt," She soothed him, but her voice was shaking slightly as she spoke. "I'm just moving in with Finn." She began to rub his back gently. "It's about time anyway – we've been engaged for nearly a month now!" They laughed at how long it had taken Rachel and Finn to move in together, despite the rock on her finger and the fact that they had recently started discussing wedding details.

"I know, it's just we've lived together for four years and now you're leaving me." Even when he was crying, Kurt managed to keep his comments light-hearted and jovial so as to not let the mood of the situation become too low.

"I'm not leaving you!" Rachel pulled away enough to look Kurt in the eye, laughing slightly through her tears. "I'm moving in with my fiancé! And anyway, I'll see you every day at work, and I'll come over for dinner once a week, okay?"

"Do I get a choice in when you come over?" Kurt smirked, pretending to contemplate her conditions.

"Kurt, honey," She smiled, stroking his hair softly behind his ear. "Of course you don't."

* * *

Blaine stood by as he watched the last of Rachel's boxes get loaded into the back of the removal truck, the door sliding down shortly afterwards.

"So that's everything, huh?" He turned to Finn who was stood next to him scratching the back of his neck.

"Yep, that's everything." He clapped his hands together and grinned. "I can't believe she's moving in with me, dude."

"Well, you are engaged, Finn," Blaine replied as they headed back into the building. "I would hope that moving in together was somewhere on your 'To Do List' before you got married." He clapped Finn on the back as they started to ascend the stairs up to Kurt's apartment where Blaine was now pretty much living.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Finn smiled having heard the same line of teasing before. Over the last few weeks that Blaine had been staying with Kurt, he had formed a good friendship with Finn over watching football games and sharing a few beers with him and his other friends. He could now put names to faces for Mike, Puck and even Artie, a slightly nerdy looking guy who retained the hidden talent of being one of the coolest guys Blaine had ever met, single-handedly running a large business empire all over Manhattan. "So, what's going on between you and Kurt?" Finn asked suddenly, stopping halfway up the second flight of stairs.

"What do you mean?" Blaine turned to him, a bemused chuckle escaping his lips as he took in what Finn had asked him. "We're just good, old friends." He shrugged nonchalantly, shaking his head slightly as if to shake away all of Finn's assumptions of anything more going on between them.

"Come on, man, I've seen you two together," Finn persisted, and Blaine started to feel a little uncomfortable – what had Finn seen that he hadn't even realised himself? "You flirt _so much_!"

"Don't be silly, Finn," Blaine frowned. "We're _friends_; that's all."

"Blaine, I've seen the way Kurt looks at you," Finn reasoned, raising his eyebrows slightly so that he almost looked sympathetic. Maybe he was – maybe he felt sorry for Blaine because he couldn't even see the signs himself. "And I've seen the way you look at him," _Shit_. Blaine's neck flushed red and he averted his gaze. "And I know that, even if you won't admit it, there are deeper feelings there, aren't there?"

Blaine thought about it for a while; okay, so he and Kurt were basically living together now, but that didn't mean they were _in love_ or anything. And, okay so Kurt had even gone and gotten all of Blaine's stuff for him so that Sebastian couldn't try and get him to stay again, but he was just being a good friend, right? And, yeah, so maybe he and Kurt occasionally would share a bottle of wine over dinner, but _that_ was just fine dining and really didn't count for anything.

But then again, there was something _different_ about the way Blaine felt when he looked at Kurt; his heart jumped in his chest and a smile spread itself across his face, but really Blaine thought that this was just admiration, gratitude for all that Kurt had done for him over the past few weeks.

Finn was still watching him, waiting for his reply, but he couldn't find the words to answer. And so instead he nodded his head lightly, still coming to terms with it himself.

"Listen, dude," Finn said as he went onto the next step and putting his hand on Blaine's shoulder. "_You_ may only just be realising that you like Kurt, but I'm pretty sure he's known since he saw you again." Blaine's head snapped up and he stared at Finn, the words having all kinds of effects on his heart rate and thought processes. "And I like you, man, I really do; you're cool and you watch football and play video games and drink beers with the guys, unlike Kurt," Blaine let out a short laugh at that, remembering how Kurt always stayed in the kitchen with the girlfriends, drinking wine and gossiping, whilst Blaine and the guys watched a game over a few beers in the living room – oh _God_; they were _already_ acting like a couple. "But Kurt is like my little brother, kay? If you hurt him in any way, shape or form, I will hunt you down." Blaine flinched as Finn's grip on his shoulder tightened slightly, and so nodded his understanding to make Finn let go as soon as possible.

They stood opposite each other on the stairs, and in their silence they could vaguely hear Rachel and Kurt's laughter floating down the stairwell from their apartment on the floor above. Blaine panicked that maybe Kurt could have overheard his conversation with Finn, but luckily Finn had kept his voice relatively low and Blaine wondered if Rachel had put him up to this conversation.

"C'mon, let's go up," Finn started to move past him but stopped just before he reached the top step. "And let's not tell either of them about our little talk – Rachel would kill me if I hadn't told her what I've seen between you and her best friend." Ah. Maybe not, then.

* * *

"I can't believe she's gone." Kurt whined an hour later as he and Blaine sat watching television. At least, Blaine was watching television; Kurt was just sat on the sofa gazing around the room at the little things that Blaine didn't even notice were missing. "I lived with her for four years," Kurt continued. "And now she's just… gone. Poof!" He expanded his hands and looked around the room again, sighing softly as he hugged his knees to his chest.

"Well at least you're not living on your own." Blaine remarked, feeling just a little forgotten about as Kurt complained about Rachel moving out. He did feel a little selfish, but he _did_ feel hurt that Kurt seemed to be acting as if he had been left to live on his own. He hadn't been harsh in his tone, in fact he'd tried to sound rather jovial and teasing, but Kurt instantly over-reacted.

"Oh, Blaine, I'm sorry. I didn't forget about you, I didn't, it's just..." He paused to take a breath and swallowed hard. "It's just it feels like the end of an era and it's weird because I was _so used_ to living with Rachel but now-"

"Kurt, it's okay, I was just teasing!" Blaine laughed, cupping his hand to Kurt's cheek and looking him in the eye. "I know you're gonna miss Rachel, but now _we_ get to live together; it's like the ultimate sleepover." Kurt giggled softly under his hand, and Blaine felt another little piece of his heart melt at the musical sound of Kurt's laughter. His mind drifted back to his conversation with Finn and he pulled his hand away, not wanting to cross any boundaries if Kurt didn't reciprocate his feelings, whatever it was that he felt.

"I know," Kurt sighed, this time a light, airy sigh that somehow sounded more cheery than he had before. "But it's just weird. At least now it's the start of a _new _era." He jumped happily, leaning towards Blaine who regarded him with a raised eyebrow accompanied by a smirk. "The _Kurt and Blaine_ era."

Blaine's stomach flipped at the words, but he knew that this 'era' would just be them as _roommates_; there was _no way_ he was going to attempt anything between him and Kurt in case he ruined their friendship. "I like it," He smiled. "Has a certain ring to it, don't you think?"

"_Exactly_." Kurt beamed, sitting himself back so that he was facing the television once more. They sat together in a comfortable silence, watching the television together with a relatively decent amount of space between them.

"Why don't I show you round the theatre tomorrow?" Blaine proposed, not even realising that he had been considering taking Kurt to his work place. He had thought about it before, having learnt about Kurt's love for all things theatre, but he'd never offered because he couldn't think of a time when they were both free. But tomorrow was Sunday, which meant that Kurt wouldn't be teaching at NYADA and Blaine could easily show him around between shows. He looked to Kurt who was staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face. "Th-that is, unless you don't want to-"

"Of course I do!" Kurt flung himself at Blaine and wrapped his arms around his neck, grinning from ear to ear. "Are you sure Sue won't mind?" He pulled away, biting his lip as he frowned. Sue hadn't been all too keen on Kurt since he got Blaine the day off work a few weeks ago, despite Blaine telling her he felt much better for it.

"Of course she won't," Blaine smiled before adding smugly. "That woman loves me."

* * *

_Sunday_

"Come in," Blaine called out from his dressing room as he got changed back into his normal clothes. The door opened and Mercedes walked in with Kurt following behind her. "Hey," Blaine greeted both of them, and they both smiled and return the greeting as Kurt walked further into the room.

"It was really nice catching up with you," He smiled, turning to Mercedes who was still stood in the doorway. "We _seriously_ have to go out sometime!"

"I know!" She beamed back. "And it was great seeing you again! I'll see you round, sometime. Bye, Kurt! Bye, Blaine!" She turned to leave before Kurt's voice stopped her.

"And don't forget you promised me the dirt on that date you have!" He called out, and Mercedes blushed and giggled before agreeing and shutting the door behind her. After she left Kurt turned back to Blaine who was just putting on a pair of Converses, ready to show his roommate around the theatre. "I still can't believe you're an actor," Kurt sighed, glancing around the dressing room in awe. This had been his third time in here, having come in a few weeks before to relay to Blaine his conversation with Sebastian when he'd gone to get Blaine's stuff.

"There's no need to sound so surprised!" Blaine laughed looking up at Kurt, whose cheeks blushed red and eyes widened.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like _that_!" He stumbled over his words as he tried to apologise. "Sorry, no I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that I can't believe it because it's so cool and you have your own dressing room and I never thought about you being an actor – I told you about that didn't I? – but now you are and it's just so-"

"Kurt, calm down!" Blaine laughed.

"-cool." Kurt added quietly before being silent all together, still wide-eyed in a way that made him look so innocent that Blaine couldn't help but smile.

"Come on," Blaine chuckled as he opened the door out into the hallway. "Let's go show you around." Kurt's face lit up but followed him timidly and Blaine shut the door behind them, stopping himself from taking Kurt's hand in his as he led him down the hallway.

"That's Sunshine's dressing room," Blaine pointed out as he and Kurt slowly walked down the hall. "She's our Maria."

"Sunshine?" Kurt asked, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Yes," Blaine held back his own smile as he looked sideways to Kurt. "In name and nature, trust me."

A door further down the hall suddenly opened, making Kurt stop in his tracks. Blaine turned back to him and laughed; he looked absolutely petrified.

"Hey, Hobbit," A voice came from behind him. He turned back to see Santana Lopez leaning on the doorframe that led to her room, a wide grin on her face. "You didn't tell me you were bringing your _boyfriend_ for a private tour today." Blaine's cheeks grew hot, but only because he was embarrassed _for_ Kurt; he was fine with Santana thinking that Kurt was his boyfriend – in fact, he kind of liked the idea – but Kurt had only met Santana once before in a fleeting moment a few weeks before and was not yet acquainted with her sarcastic yet good-natured sense of humour.

"Blainers has a boyfriend?" Another voice came from within the room, and a blonde girl leant out of Santana's room, smiling widely with curiosity.

"No, Britts," Santana corrected her. "Not _yet_, anyway." She gave Blaine a meaningful stare that could not have possibly gone unnoticed by Kurt, and Blaine instantly knew there would be a conversation about it later. He hoped Kurt would drop it by the time he got home, though.

"Oh," Brittany sighed, "So who's that?" She pointed at Kurt, her eyes scrutinizing him as she moved next to Santana, who put her arm around her waist.

"This is Kurt, my _roommate_," Blaine gestured to Kurt, bringing him forward a few steps from where he had been stood frozen a few seconds ago. "Kurt, this is Santana, our Anita," Santana smiled and raised her hand in a small wave. "And this is Brittany, one of our choreographers and Santana's girlfriend." Brittany's reaction was much more enthusiastic; she skipped up to Kurt and practically jumped on him, hugging him tightly.

"Are you a unicorn, too?" She asked, looking between him and Blaine. Blaine and Santana tried to cover their laughter behind their hands before giving up and just laughing out loud at Brittany's question whilst Kurt just stood there confused and slowly becoming the same colour as a tomato.

"Erm, yes he is, Britts." Blaine spluttered, his face flushed from laughing. He looked to Santana, who nodded as she smirked and stepped forward to drag Brittany back into her dressing room.

"I'll let you get on with your tour," She winked as she shut the door behind her, but not before Blaine could quickly thank her.

"Sorry about that," Blaine turned back to Kurt, who was now rooted to his new spot just a few paces ahead of where he was before. "She's not really _that_ bad once you get to know her," Blaine said gesturing to Santana's door, which was now shut, and kept his voice low just in case she was eavesdropping. "But she _does_ love to tease the crap out of me for my height." He shrugged but chuckled, unable to forget how Santana had labelled him 'Hobbit' as soon as they had met, and it had stuck ever since.

"What did 'Britts' mean when she asked if I was 'a unicorn'?" Kurt asked, and Blaine realised that his expression had changed from nervous and – quite rightly, scared – about meeting Santana to confused and almost angry. Blaine knew that Kurt didn't like being kept out of the loop, but couldn't quite find the right words to explain without stumbling over his words.

"She means you're gay!" Santana's voice echoed out from the other side of her door. So she had been listening, Blaine thought. _I'll get her back for that later…_ Despite his plotting for a prank to pull on his cast mate later, Blaine nearly jumped over to the door and banged on it, smiling triumphantly when he heard Santana and Brittany yell out on the other side. To his right, Kurt laughed at how immature they all seemed to be backstage, a stark contrast to their professionalism _onstage_.

"And, er, _Blainers_?" Kurt smirked at the nickname before laughing at Blaine's reaction of blushing bright red.

"Yeah," Blaine rubbed the back of his neck, begging for his skin tone to go back to normal. "Brittany decided upon the first rehearsal that she was going to christen me as it right from the off. _Please_ don't start calling me it at home; I get enough of it here." Blaine liked that 'home' meant where he lived with Kurt, even if it _was_ only as damn _roommates_. He also hated, however, how it reminded him how he felt about Kurt, and knew deep down that one day he'd have to talk to Kurt about it. _One day_; _not now_.

Behind Blaine another door opened, and, exasperated that he couldn't show Kurt around without _someone_ butting in, Blaine spun around to see Thad, his best friend onstage and off.

"Ah, Blainers, I thought I heard voices." Thad smiled, obviously having overheard Blaine express his distaste for the name by the grin on his face as he said it. He patted Blaine on the back as he turned to Kurt, and Blaine was practically brimming with pride as he introduced them to each other.

"Thad, this is Kurt, my… roommate." _Shit, that was close - I almost called him my boyfriend! _Blaine thought to himself. _Even worse, I nearly did it _out loud_! _"Kurt, this is Thad. He plays-"

"Riff." Kurt and Thad both finished together, both of them blushing and laughing as they shook hands. Blaine felt a tugging in the bottom of his stomach; a painful feeling that he'd only ever experienced when he had been out with Sebastian and another guy had hit on his now ex-boyfriend.

Blaine was jealous.

* * *

**Ooh, Blainers is jealous! But does he have anything to be jealous _of_? Well, we'll just see how things turn out ;)**

**Urgh, my sister is moaning at me for my constant typing. I told her it was 'story' but didn't elaborate; she'd think I was even wierder than she already does if she knew I wrote a Glee fanfiction - she doesn't understand my love for the beautiful, musical world that is _Glee_. **

**Thank goodness I didn't tell her that I'm listening to my Glee music on shuffle, too. **

**Well, until next time,**

**C xx**


	17. Sushi

**Yay! Chapter 17! Yay! I really love this chapter, and I hope you guys do, too! Enjoy xx**

* * *

This was not good.

Blaine couldn't be _jealous_. Kurt was his _friend_, and yes, Blaine cared about him, and he may also kind of _like_ him, but that wasn't important. He just wasn't expecting Thad to start flirting with Kurt. Right in front of him. And, yes, okay – it made him a little angry, but that was only because he was _trying_ to show Kurt around the theatre and now Thad was stopping him from doing that. If they wanted to flirt, that was fine, but surely they could do it some other time?

Blaine watched on as his closest work friend proceeded to charm and flirt with his best and oldest friend, trying to ignore the painful feeling in his chest as he forced a smile and joined in with some of the banter. But soon enough he was left standing to the side, and his previous enthusiasm for today was slowly melting away. He realised then that, no matter how much he denied it to himself, he definitely _was_ jealous of Thad flirting with Kurt, even though he had promised himself that he wouldn't do anything to jeopardise their friendship. Blaine knew that Thad was gay, in fact it was one of the reasons why they were such good friends; they'd stood up for each other on nights out when Blaine had become part of the cast. There had never been any sexual chemistry between them, which was Blaine was quite thankful for because Thad was now one of his closest friends, but that didn't stop Blaine from getting jealous. Finn wouldn't be happy with him; he'd allowed Kurt to get caught up in some other guy without knowing the full extent of Blaine's feelings first.

This was not good.

* * *

Kurt was pleasantly surprised to meet Blaine's cast mates that day. He had initially expected Blaine to show him around the theatre with no interruptions; just the two of them; Blaine explaining the different areas of the building and the role they played in his work with Kurt listening intently as he followed him around, aching to reach out and hold his hand.

Of course that would be extremely inappropriate and would never happen because, not only had Blaine broken up with Sebastian merely three weeks ago, but now they _lived_ together, and in Kurt's mind that made things harder because what if something went wrong and they broke up? One of them would have to move out, most likely Blaine seeing as this was more Kurt's apartment than his, and they would never see each other again and even if they did things would be awkward. And there was _no way_ Kurt was willing to give up this fantastic, renewed friendship for all of that heartache.

Santana had been… refreshing. She was snarky and sassy and Kurt knew that, in time, he was going to grow to love that just as much as Blaine did. It had surprised Kurt that Santana was a lesbian, but the fact that she was so open about it, even in front of strangers, was something he admired about her. Kurt was determined to make friends with Blaine's friends, that way if Blaine was ever upset and wouldn't talk to him, Kurt could go to the people who knew him best for advice. Also, he was starting to really like these guys.

And then there was Thad, the handsome dark-haired boy who played Riff, Tony's best friend. He was also one of Blaine's closest friends, the two of them acting like brothers rather than friends, which was fantastic to see – for Kurt it meant there was no possibility of a future romantic development. But when Thad had turned on the charm for Kurt, Kurt had been caught off-guard but ended up returning the flirtatious comments, even if they were only half-hearted. Kurt wasn't sure what was going on between him and Blaine; he liked him, but he didn't want to cross a line.

Then again, he didn't know how _Blaine_ felt. What if Blaine liked him too but was holding back for the same reasons? _Don't be silly, Kurt_, Kurt had scolded himself, _he's still reeling from his break-up and you need to be a friend right now_.

And that was how Kurt had agreed to go for coffee with Thad the following day during his free period in the morning. It hadn't been until he was walking away with Blaine that he realised he hadn't checked if it was okay with his roommate; Thad was _Blaine's_ friend after all.

"Is it okay that I'm going out with Thad tomorrow?" He asked as they turned the corner, out of earshot from Thad's room. Blaine seemed a little distant, but when he heard Kurt's voice he appeared to wake up from a daydream. He turned to Kurt and smiled.

"Of course it is." Kurt couldn't tell what it was, but there was something… _off_ about Blaine's smile. It was _different_, and Kurt wasn't sure if he liked the fact that Blaine's smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Okay-"

"Beebee!" They both looked up to see a girl stood at the end of the corridor holding a pile of fabric in her hands, staring at them with a huge grin on her face. Blaine visibly perked up at seeing her and ran down the corridor to her. She did the same, dropping the fabric where she stood and – quite impressively in the heels she was wearing – met Blaine halfway and jumped into a hug.

"Hey, Sugar!" Blaine laughed into her shoulder as he caught her and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Ohmygod Beebee we haven't spoken in _ages_!" She pulled away enough to look into Blaine's face. "You better not be avoiding me, Anderson."

"Of course I'm not, S!" Blaine laughed in return, gently letting her down and brushing himself down. "I've just, been a little busy lately, is all."

She frowned then and placed her hand gently on Blaine's shoulder. "I heard about Sebastian, Blaine, and I'm sorry." Blaine hung his head and nodded slightly, and for the second time Kurt was left standing there while Blaine talked to one of his seemingly many work friends.

"Thanks, Sushi-" Blaine was cut off by a sudden slap on the arm. "Ow!"

"No matter how upset you are, you are _not_ permitted to call me 'Sushi'. _Ever_." She smirked, using the same hand she'd hit Blaine with to rub his arm better.

"I seem to recall saying the same to you about calling me 'Beebee'," Blaine countered, a smirk playing on his own lips. "But I see _that_ rule went out the window."

"You turned gay on me, Anderson; I am _forever_ allowed to call you that."

"I didn't _turn gay on you_. I already _was_ gay… Sushi." As soon as the nickname left his lips, Blaine darted back down the corridor and ducked behind Kurt, using him as a human shield. "Kurt, save me!"

Kurt, who had been idly inspecting his nails and remarking how he _really needed to get a manicure soon_, almost screamed at Blaine pulling him from side to side to stop this girl from attacking him.

"Who's this, Beebee?" She stopped short of Kurt, panting slightly from chasing Blaine down the corridor and trying to grab him.

"_This_ is Kurt," Kurt replied as he shrugged Blaine off of him and stepped forward, holding his hand out politely.

"Sugar," She replied, taking Kurt's hand and shaking it softly. "Sugar Motta." She added, smiling before her gaze drifted over his shoulder to Blaine, or 'Beebee' as Kurt had picked up on. "And _Blaine_ is being very rude right now, isn't he, Kurt?" She grinned at what Kurt guessed was Blaine before looking back up at him, her smile softer with a more innocent air to it.

"I would say he is," Kurt replied as they both let go of the other's hand turning to see Blaine standing behind him, still grinning like a fool.

"What?" He looked between Kurt and Sugar, his smile becoming smaller but not disappearing all together when they didn't answer. "What did I do?" Kurt and Sugar just laughed, before Kurt raised an eyebrow and turned to Sugar.

"So, what's this about him _turning_ _gay_ on you?"

"Hey, you can't say it like _that_, you're gay too!" Blaine exclaimed at how Kurt seemed to be utterly disgusted at Blaine 'turning gay'.

"I think I'm aware of that, Blainers," Kurt rolled his eyes and looked at Blaine. "Or should I say Beebee?"

"I think I preferred Blainers." Blaine mumbled and allowed Kurt to turn back to Sugar, and so Kurt linked arms with her and started to walk back towards the fabric she'd dropped.

"So, Sugar, tell me how Blainers 'turned gay' on you."

* * *

_The senior common room was brimming with excitement as all of the Warblers finished the last note of their impromptu performance of Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream', and suddenly the Warblers were surrounded by the rest of the Dalton boys._

_After multiple pats on the back and calls of 'Well done' and 'That was awesome, man!', Blaine managed to pull out the guy he wanted to talk to; Tyler Motta, one of Sebastian's friends who had helped Blaine out when he got stuck on his French homework and then become his friend._

"_Hey, man, that was wicked!" Blaine grinned, affectionately slapping Tyler's shoulder before resting his hand there._

"_Thanks, B," Tyler beamed; Tyler was one of Blaine's closer friends, and Blaine knew that Tyler really cared about what he thought. Of course, the person Blaine cared most about and would rather be congratulating was Sebastian, but he was off with his boyfriend Jeremiah, the both of them having graduated at the summer before. "Hey, B, listen," Tyler put his hand on Blaine's shoulder just as he turned to leave. "I was wondering if you could do me a favour?"_

"_Sure, anything." Blaine had a habit of agreeing to things before he knew the details, but he trusted Tyler not embarrass him by sending him somewhere with a fake errand only to be turned away. _

"_My sister is coming into town with my parents tomorrow-"_

"_Okay, yeah, no, I can't do that again." Blaine waved his hands and took a step back out of Tyler's grasp, looking him in the eye._

"_Blaine, please. She's the same age as you and she really liked you last time; just take her out to a movie or something – I'll pay." Tyler's eyes were wide an pleading, and, being the people-pleaser that he was, Blaine was having a hard time staying adamant on not going. _

"_Tyler, last time she kissed me!" Blaine cried, still remembering the image of Sugar Motta leaning in to kiss him and shuddered involuntarily. "I kept my promise and pretended to be straight so that she thought of it as a date, but you have no idea how hard it was for me not to throw up after that-"_

"_Hey! That's my sister you're talking about, Anderson."_

"_I don't mean because it was Sugar, I mean because she's a _girl_!" By now the common room had partially emptied of the other students, but the few who remained were having a hard time ignoring Blaine and Tyler's conversation. Blaine was openly gay here, which was fine and meant that he could be himself and like whoever he wanted – within reason – and everyone had heard about the last time Blaine had done a favour for Tyler. The 'Straight for Sugar' incident was something Blaine was still teased for, but he was also offered condolences from some of the guys for having been asked to be someone he wasn't. _

"_Look, Blaine," Tyler really was desperate. "I just… I need some time _alone_ with my parents tomorrow because they're concerned about my grades or something. They asked me to make sure Sugar was… occupied, so that we could talk in private and they recalled last time when she went out with you." Tyler's blue eyes searched Blaine's hazel ones for some sign of an agreement. "_I'm _not asking you; _they are_."_

"_Urgh, fine," Blaine rubbed his forehead with his hand, subconsciously starting to plan his outfit, where they would go, and how to keep Sugar _off_ of him this time around. Tyler whooped loudly and pulled Blaine into a huge hug, nearly smothering Blaine in his uniform as he hugged him tightly._

"_Thank you _so_ much, Blaine!" Tyler cheered as Blaine repeatedly hit him to let go, but Tyler took it for friendly pats to express how happy Blaine was to endure Sugar for his friend and continued to hold him. "I'll talk to Sugar, I promise; I'll make sure she doesn't try _anything_ on with you again!"_

"_Tyler… Air… Can't breathe…" With his last ounce of strength before he blacked out, Blaine hit Tyler in the side with enough force to knock him backwards slightly, allowing him to gasp in air as he clutched his hand to his chest._

"_Oh, sorry Blaine," Tyler blushed red and stepped forward to help, but Blaine waved him off with a smile as he sat himself down onto the nearest chair. Tyler thanked him, and then apologised, and then thanked him again before running out of the room to call his parents._

What have I let myself in for? _Blaine thought to himself as he got his breath back. _

_-0-0-0-0-_

"_So, Sugar," Blaine coughed uneasily as they sat opposite each other in Breadstix, Sugar smiling at him and leaning over the table to stroke his hand. The contact made him shiver, and not in a good way; he _really_ had nothing against Sugar, it's just… she was a _girl._ "How've you been?" He reached out and took his drink in his hand, inwardly hissing at how cold the glass was._

"_I've been good..." She tailed off, seemingly embarrassed at what she had been going to say._

"_But…?" Blaine prompted._

"_But I've missed you." She finished, stroking Blaine's leg under the table with her foot, gradually climbing higher and higher. Blaine choked on the sip of his Diet Coke he had in his mouth, a mix between trying to swallow and trying to breathe at the same time causing him to pull his hand away from Sugar and turn away from the table. "Are you okay, Beebee?" She asked innocently, frowning at his reaction as he regained his composure._

"_Yes, yes, I'm… I'm fine." Blaine stuttered, returning his attention to the table but not supplying Sugar's hand with his. Instead, he clasped his hands together on the table in front of him, and Sugar slowly pulled her hand away, her foot now firmly on the floor._

"_Are you sure?" She scrutinized him and frowned. He wasn't the same as last time; last time, Blaine had been open and friendly and had happily held her hand. They had chatted all night and joked around, Blaine pulling her in for numerous hugs and making her feel – however cliché it was to say it – _special_. But now, he was being all distant and Sugar wasn't stupid; that smile was forced. Or at least, whole-hearted and true like it had been last time. _

_This was just like when she had dated that boy Michael; at first he was all smiles and lovely and romantic, but after a few dates he became distant. It wasn't until Sugar caught him making out with another girl at a house party that she realised he hadn't been entirely truthful to her when he'd said he 'had a lot of studying to do'. _

"_Is there someone else?" She asked, her eyes filling with tears when Blaine looked at her, shocked._

"_W-what?"_

"_Are you seeing someone else, Blaine?"_

"_Sugar, we're not _exactly_ seeing each other, are we?"_

"_So there _is_ someone else?" Blaine made a series of noises, looking around him frantically as she began to cry. "Who is it? What's her name?" Sugar sobbed, gaining the attention of a few other couples sat at the nearby tables. _

"_Sugar, don't do this." Blaine was begging as he tried to grasp her hands in his but she pulled them away. "Let me explain."_

"_Explain what? How you're cheating on me?" Sugar spat through her tears, covering her face with her hands. Blaine blushed bright red and started to sweat; this wasn't how this evening was supposed to go. And why had Sugar still been flirting with him? Tyler said he would 'talk to her', and Blaine had taken that to mean 'don't worry, I'll tell her you're gay'. Obviously that had not been the case. _

"_Sugar, I'm not- We're not even going out!" Blaine exclaimed, throwing down a few notes onto the table before following Sugar as she ran out of the restaurant. "Sugar, _please_!" Sugar stopped just a few steps out of the restaurant, turning around to glare at Blaine as her mascara tried to flee down her cheeks from the onslaught of tears. When she didn't say anything, Blaine took it as his cue to actually _explain_ himself. This was the bit he'd been dreading; he had been hoping that he could just tell Sugar that he was a gay in a calm, safe environment, but now she was on the verge of ripping him to shreds no matter what he said. _

"_Now, this isn't going to be easy- for either of us." Blaine began, cautiously taking a few steps towards Sugar. She sniffed through her tears, her sobs having died down but her tears still flowing. "I was hoping that Tyler had already told you this – he told me he was going to talk to you before tonight so that this didn't have to happen," Blaine gestured to the both of them, referring to the misunderstanding. "But now I can see that he hasn't and I'm going to have to do this myself." Blaine took a deep breath and, when she allowed him, held her hand in both of his and looked into her eyes. "I'm… I'm gay, Sugar."_

_She froze to the spot, her body going tense and her jaw almost hitting the floor. "Since when?" Her voice was barely above a whisper and shaking, and she started to lean away from Blaine, a gesture that made his heart break._

"_Since I was fourteen." He stated, looking away. He felt ashamed of himself for having let it get this far; in all of the three years that he had been 'out and relatively proud' he had never had to come out to anyone in such disastrous circumstances. Nor had he ever had to pretend to be straight except for when Tyler had first paired him up with Sugar five months ago. After quiet a long chunk of unbearable silence had passed, Blaine looked up and was shocked to see Sugar… smiling? "What?" He asked, utterly confused_

"_So, you were already gay?" Sugar asked him, eyebrow raised and a small grin on her lips. Blaine nodded. "So, it wasn't because of me? You didn't turn because I put you off the fairer sex?"_

"_I, uh – what? – no. No, Sugar, it wasn't you." Blaine was getting more and more confused by the second, but he felt a little better that Sugar was now looking as if she could hug him any second rather than carry out a threat to castrate him on the spot. And he was right; Sugar flung her arms around his neck, knocking him off balance. He stumbled backwards and steadied himself against the wall of the restaurant whilst Sugar hung on around his neck, and Blaine was startled to hear that she was _giggling_ into his shoulder. "Sugar, are you okay?" He pulled her off and set her down on the floor in front of him, eyeing her closely._

"_Are you kidding?" She beamed. "I just got myself a gay best friend!" And with that, she flung her arms around Blaine's neck again. Relieved, Blaine laughed and hugged her in return; she was definitely taking it well. _

* * *

"Wow," Kurt stated, looking back to Blaine as Sugar finished her story. The three of them had made their way back to Sugar's design room, Kurt quickly learning that she was a costume designer and often helped with minor sewing duties here and there.

"I know, right?" Sugar grinned, moving over to Blaine and hugging his arm. "He's been my GBF ever since – he's too guilty about what happened that night not to be." Blaine grinned at Kurt and shrugged; the story was now just another anecdote for him to share at parties. Kurt had to admire how well he'd handled the situation; if it had been him having to explain to a girl like Sugar – _any_ girl, in fact – that there had been such a misunderstanding, he would have panicked and broken down into tears as well. But Blaine just reeked of a suave, debonair young gentleman who knew just how to make anyone warm up to him within seconds.

* * *

**Heheh... Beebee :) I'll explain the 'Sushi' nickname another time, but for now Yay for Sugar! It took me a while to think of a backstory between them, but I'm so glad I mulled it over until I came up with this! I just love the idea of Sugar flirting with Blaine because she doesn't know he's gay. Don't know why... :p**

**And how are we all feeling about Kurt agreeing to go for coffee with Thad? :o**

**Tell me in your reviews! X**

**C xx**


	18. Coffee Order

**Ohmygod I meant to upload this at seven! It's now ten to nine! I'm so sorry - I had to fill in a job application and it took me _ages_. Literally, _fucking ages_. So now I'm all stressed out and rushing putting this up. *sigh* Sorry. I'm just a bit worked up today because I've been staying up late over the past few days and not getting much sleep, and in my tired state my mother is _particularly_ annoying!**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter - there's a bit of fluff at the end :) xx**

* * *

"Hey Kurt," Rory waved as Kurt headed out of his classroom. "Coming for coffee in the staffroom?" He gestured in the direction he was headed: the opposite way to which Kurt wanted to go.

"Uh, no, not today," Kurt's cheeks burnt up as he excused himself from the daily routine of the teachers congregating for coffee as they caught up on the gossip they just happened to overhear in class. Rory frowned, and so Kurt elaborated before Rory could question him. "I actually… I have a coffee date."

"A date?" If Rory had been confused before, he was completely bewildered now. "But break is only twenty minutes." _Yes, and you're wasting them_, Kurt bit back the temptation to say that out loud. "Where are you going to go in twenty minutes?"

"The parking lot," Kurt told him reluctantly before heading off down the hall. Just as he went to turn the corner a thought struck him. "Don't tell Rachel," He pleaded, turning back to see Rory walking away slowly. He stopped when Kurt spoke and turned to look at him. "Or anyone else," Kurt added. "I just… I don't even know if this is serious."

"Tell them what?" Rory smiled, winking at Kurt and raising a hand as he continued on his way to the staffroom.

Kurt smiled, relieved, and checked his watch; he had three minutes until the bell went for morning break but he figured that Thad would already be waiting outside for him and hurried towards the parking lot.

* * *

"How did you know my coffee order?" Kurt asked as he swallowed the first sip of his coffee that Thad had handed to him, the familiar taste of a Grande non-fat mocha as shockingly surprising as it was pleasantly recognizable.

"Actually, I had to ask Blaine about that." Thad blushed, looking down at his feet as he walked. He and Kurt were strolling together through the streets surrounding NYADA – due to Kurt's time restriction they couldn't go very far. Thad was looking positively dashing in a pair of black skinny jeans, a white button-down shirt and a navy blue cardigan with red piping around the seam and the pockets, and Kurt had to admit that he was having trouble keeping his eyes _forward_.

Kurt blushed. "Oh, right." His heart sank a little when he realised that Thad wasn't mysteriously talented at guessing people's coffee orders spot-on, but raced a little at the thought that Blaine _did_ know his coffee order.

Kurt cursed himself internally for the small, awkward silence that followed; if he hadn't asked about his _stupid_ coffee order then he and Thad would be talking like people normally did on their first dates right now.

"Can I just say that you're looking _exceptional_ today?" Thad gushed, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink as he and Kurt began nearing the entrance to the Academy again.

"Yes, you can," Kurt blushed back; he'd never been called '_exceptional_' before. He also wasn't very sure of himself when it came to the flirting thing. "You look pretty amazing yourself." Thad's eyes shone when he smiled, and he slowly took Kurt's hand in his to stop him before they reached the school's entrance again.

"I know this wasn't the most breath-taking date ever, but I never thought I could enjoy twenty minutes so much." Both boys blushed, but Kurt was caught unawares and, instead of replying, only managed to open his mouth just to close it again. "I hope I see you again," Thad whispered into Kurt's ear before pressing a light kiss to his cheek. "Bye, Kurt."

Kurt nodded silently before stuttering, "Me too." They smiled at each other, blushed and then laughed nervously, and before Kurt knew it Thad had pressed another kiss to his cheek and was walking away down the street to his car.

* * *

Kurt was still daydreaming about his date in class half an hour later, and so set his students a short essay on the importance of stage positioning to save himself the embarrassment of repeatedly trailing off when he remembered something else about Thad.

The door suddenly flew open and a very flustered Rachel appeared, causing everyone to look her way apart from the one student who had been trying to balance on one leg of his chair at the back of the class who fell to the ground with a 'thud'. After wincing slightly and making sure his student, a blonde-haired boy named Alex, was okay, Kurt turned his attention back to Rachel.

"Mr Hummel, may I speak to you in the hall for a moment?" Her voice was calm and professional, but Kurt nearly cut himself on the daggers in her eyes as she stared at him, and he knew that hers was a _very_ rhetorical question. His class all 'ooh'-ed at his situation, one student even calling out 'Good luck, sir' before Kurt told them all to get back to their work.

"Yes?" He turned to Rachel when they were out in the hall, the door closed behind them. Kurt was stood so that he was still able to keep an eye on his class, but Rachel had other ideas. She grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hall despite his protests that she was ruining his new Marc Jacobs shirt, and guided him into the staffroom, which was empty apart from one person sat alone.

Rory.

"Oh, Rory, don't tell me you told her?" Kurt whined, putting his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Kurt, I really am, but," Rory glanced at Rachel hesitantly before looking back to Kurt. "She's one scary woman!" He did look genuinely terrified, and Kurt's previous exasperation with him was washed away instantly and replaced with sorrow for him; having been Rachel's target for 'gossip extraction' before, he knew how petrifying Rachel Berry could be.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a date?" Rachel slapped Kurt on the arm, still glaring at him and apparently ignoring Rory's statement.

"First of all, ow." Kurt stated bluntly, rubbing his arm where Rachel had slapped him. "And second of all, because I didn't know how serious this date was going to be! It was only twenty minutes, Rachel, and I only met him yesterday."

"So?" Rachel jumped up and down, irritated that Kurt had kept it from her. "A date is a date, Kurt! And, as your best friend, I have the _right_ to know about it." She stopped jumping and put her hands on her hips, glowering at him like a schoolgirl having a tantrum.

"Look, Rachel, the only people who knew about this were me, Blaine, Rory, and Thad-"

"His name is Thad? Ooh, he sounds _nice_." Rachel interrupted, dragging out the word 'nice' and fluttering her eyelashes. "Oh my God!" She stiffened slightly, and Kurt and Rory both looked at each other warily. "Don't tell me you went on a date with _Thad Harwood_? Blaine's cast mate? The one who plays Riff?"

Kurt stared at her open-mouthed. "How do you _know_ that?"

"Kurt, we have three copies of the West Side Story programme," She said, as if it was the most obvious reason in the world. "How would I _not_ know?"

"I didn't even _know_ his last name!" Kurt cried, motioning to himself. "And _I_ was the one who _went on a date_ with the guy!"

"You must admit, Rachel," Rory chuckled, getting up from his chair and coming over to Kurt's side. "It is a little weird that you know that. Even if you _do_ have three copies of the programme."

"It's not 'a little weird'-" Rachel retorted.

"No, it _really_ is!" Kurt interrupted. "Rachel, you _know_ I would have told you about it sooner or later, but for _once_ I just wanted to see how it went without the pressure of you texting me every five minutes asking how it's going!"

"You _do_ that?" Rory asked, gobsmacked, and Rachel's cheeks coloured as she averted her gaze. "Wow…" Rory trailed off, leaving the room silent.

"Can I go back to my class now?" Kurt crossed his arms, not willing to stay around any longer due to Rachel pushing on his last nerve and shattering his warm afterglow from his date with Thad. Rachel nodded quietly but didn't move, keeping her gaze towards the floor.

Kurt stalked out of the room and made his way back to his classroom, groaning in frustration. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Rory coming after him. "I really am sorry, Kurt," He said. "It's just; she kept bugging me if I knew where you were and, with neither of us teaching this lesson, the interrogation kind of went overboard and I just couldn't- She's scary, man!"

Kurt laughed and patted his friend on the shoulder. "I know she is, and I don't blame you at all." Rory let out a relieved sigh, and both of them chuckled slightly. "I guess I should be giving you a medal for standing up to her for so long!" Kurt laughed and checked his watch. "Oh jeez, I've _really _gotta get back to class! See you later." And with another quick pat on Rory's shoulder, Kurt hurried back into his classroom.

* * *

"Hey Kurt," Rachel said timidly as Kurt headed towards the parking lot at the end of the day. He stopped when he heard her voice, the two of them facing each other in the middle of the hall.

"Hey Rachel," Ever since their confrontation earlier in the day, Kurt had become increasingly guilty with every passing minute. He had been hoping to apologize to Rachel at lunch, but she hadn't turned up. Tina and Rory were just as clueless to her whereabouts as Kurt was, and even though Rachel would often disappear from lunch when she was having a 'diva day', today was different. Kurt imagined horrible images of her crying in the staff toilets or in her classroom, or, when he got especially concerned, her going out into the street into the path of an oncoming cab. Kurt dismissed the latter when he remembered that Rachel loved herself to do such a thing, but the first two were a very high possibility. "You weren't at lunch today." Kurt finally said, voicing his thoughts.

"I know," Rachel sighed. "I thought I'd let you… cool off a bit. I'm sorry I over-reacted," Kurt stared at her in disbelief; Rachel Berry, his diva best friend, was _apologizing_? This was _so_ going in Kurt's diary later. "But you _know_ how much I love you, and I guess I can get a little _over_protective sometimes-"

"Wait, what?" Kurt had to make sure that he'd hear her correctly. "You're _protective _of me?"

"Yeah," Rachel nodded, a smile breaking out on her lips. "That's why I bug you so much on your dates."

"Why?" Kurt watched her, his face the image of concern and confusion.

"Because I still remember how… _broken_ you were in high school when you were getting bullied, and I felt so _terrible_ that I couldn't help you. And, this is going to sound _incredibly_ morbid, but I kind of hoped that there would be a time where I could step in to make up for that-"

"So you _prayed_ for me to be persecuted for being gay?" Kurt asked uncertainly.

"No! No, not at all! I would _never_ wish that on anyone!" Rachel blushed. "No, I just… I don't want you to get hurt again, Kurt. And if texting you nonstop when you're on a date - or storming in on you during class - is the way to do so, then that's what I'll do." She gazed up at Kurt, both of them with tears brimming in their eyes. "You're my best friend, Kurt, and I love you."

"I love you, too, Rach," Kurt sighed, pulling Rachel in for a hug and squeezing his eyes shut to stop his tears from falling. They both held onto the other tightly, swaying slightly as they always did when they were emotional, pulling away after nearly a minute.

They both laughed when they saw the other; grimacing to stop their tears from falling, even though they were already running down their cheeks, knowing that they looked exactly the same. Wiping their eyes and cheeks with the backs of their hands, Rachel and Kurt sighed happily, still smiling.

Without saying a word, Kurt held his arm out to the side and Rachel linked her arm through it, the two of them heading out to the parking lot arm in arm.

"Give my love to Blaine," Rachel smiled, waving as she headed over to her car and Kurt headed over to his.

"I will," Kurt replied, waving return. "Give my love to Finn."

"I will!" Rachel beamed as she ducked down into her car. This had become a daily routine, now; both of them sending love for the other's roommate, or fiancé in Rachel's case. Kurt got into his car and smiled to himself; he'd fixed things with Rachel.

* * *

"Honey, I'm home!" Kurt called out light-heartedly as he shut the door to his apartment behind him, feeling a slight twinge in his heart knowing that it was_ just a joke, _and he couldn't_ actually_ call that out and mean it_._ Blaine's mop of curls appeared in the doorway to the living room, a wide grin plastered on his face. "Good day?" Kurt asked as he hung his coat up.

"Yeah," Blaine padded into the kitchen. "I didn't get up 'til eleven this morning; it was awesome." Kurt chuckled at his roommate as he picked his satchel up off the floor and set it down on the table. "How was your date?" Blaine emphasized the word 'date', singling out the 't' sound as he leant over the table to get into Kurt's line of vision.

"God, two minutes in the door and you're already asking me how it went?" Kurt laughed, Blaine's heart flipping at the sound. "Anyone would think you were jealous, Blainers." This time Blaine's stomach knotted and he blushed, his cheeks burning as Kurt walked into the living room with his back to Blaine.

"N-no," Blaine stuttered, following Kurt. "I just want to know; you're two of my best friends." He sat next to Kurt on the sofa, bringing his knees up to his chest to try and hide his embarrassment slightly.

"It was fine, just coffee at break; nothing too explicit, sorry." Kurt winked and grinned, and Blaine half-heartedly returned it. Luckily, Kurt seemed to have remembered something and so didn't notice his lack of enthusiasm. "You know my coffee order." Kurt blurted, his head snapping round to look at Blaine with wide eyes.

"What?" Blaine snorted, laughing and shaking his head at his roommate's random outburst; as much as he loved Kurt, sometimes he really made _no_ sense.

"Today… Thad- He told me you had to tell him my coffee order."

"Yeah, so?"

"You know my coffee order." Kurt repeated, staring at Blaine. "How?"

"C'mon Kurt, we've gotten coffee together before," Blaine smirked, getting up and heading out into the kitchen before he blurted out that he'd remembered Kurt's coffee order because he loved the way Kurt said it. "I'm sure you remember mine."

Kurt stared at the wall, racking his brain for Blaine's coffee order. _C'mon think! Weren't you paying attention when he ordered it?_

_Of course I wasn't; I was too busy staring at him in all his gorgeousness. _

"Uhh…"

"Kurt!" Blaine's head reappeared, still smirking. "Medium drip with cinnamon for flavour! Jeez!" He laughed, and Kurt couldn't help but join in. "I expect you to remember that next time we get coffee." Blaine pointed at him with an eyebrow raised before smiling again as he disappeared.

Kurt stared after him and released a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

_Remember what?_

* * *

**Was that okay? I hope you liked it - I enjoyed writing it sooooo much :D**

**Please review - your thoughts make me happy:)**

**C xx**


	19. Feelings

**Okay I know people are getting a little miffed at me because the boys _still aren't__ together_, but I can't help it! I'm trying, I truly am, but as my friend RainySunnyEnding will say the characters write the stories, not us, and I swear to god that's true. Things just keeps getting in the way and shit happens and they just won't do it. **

**However, I have figured out now how it's going to happen, when and what the consequences will be, and I am 98 and 3/4 % sure it will be the next chapter, if not then it will DEFINITELY be the one _after_ that. This one is kinda long but it's important, and i'll see you guys on Monday :D**

**I'm gonna go get working on the next chapter now...**

* * *

_Friday_

"Rachel, this is _not_ good." Kurt moaned into his sleeve as he buried his head in his arms that were crossed on the table.

He was at Finn and Rachel's apartment after having decided to join Rachel for dinner, both of them being left alone for the evening; Blaine was performing, as he did every night, and Finn was out with work friends, celebrating one of their birthdays, or so she had told Kurt. Kurt had been relatively upbeat when he'd arrived, immediately spewing ideas for Rachel's birthday the following week; even though she had told him she only wanted a small get-together with her closest friends. But when Kurt had run out of breath - and ideas - he had been showing the obvious signs of having something on his mind. Well, it was obvious to Rachel. And now it seemed that Kurt was ready to talk about it.

"What isn't, sweetie?" Rachel asked as she brought over two mugs of coffee, setting one down in front of her friend. He sat up and took it in his hands, but made no effort to drink it. He sighed heavily, keeping his eyes on the table rather than looking up at his friend. "Kurt, what is it?" Rachel put her own mug down and leant across the table, taking Kurt's hands away from his mug and holding them in hers.

Kurt looked up then, and Rachel was heartbroken to see he was starting to cry, a few tears escaping his eyes as he tried to blink them away. And when he spoke, his voice was so quiet that Rachel had to ask him to repeat it.

"I like Blaine," He said again.

"I'd hope so; it would be weird if you didn't, seeing as you live with him." Rachel knew that using some gentle sarcasm against Kurt whilst he was in this mood would make him open up further.

"No, I mean, _really_ like him. A lot." Rachel's heart leapt for joy; _finally_ Kurt had realised! Since they had moved in together, Rachel and Finn had both noticed changes in Kurt, especially when Blaine was around or the subject of conversation, and had been able to discuss it in the evening. After a week or two, Finn had told his fiancée that he had spoken to Blaine about it, and how it seemed that Blaine felt the same way about Kurt. Although neither one of them would admit to each other, let alone themselves. "And now there's this whole thing with Thad, and I- I don't know what to do because I don't know if Blaine likes me the same way and if he does then why hasn't he done anything yet?" Rachel got up and moved around the table so that she was sat next to Kurt allowed him to collapse in her arms.

"Kurt, honey, shh," Rachel soothed, rubbing her hand up and down his back and cradling him in her arms. "I'm _sure_ that Blaine likes you. I've seen the way you two look at each other," She told him as he gazed up at her with wide eyes, sniffling as he tried to calm his tears. Rachel had sworn to Finn that she wouldn't intervene, that neither of them could do anything until the boys came to their senses by themselves. And although it was killing her not to just tell Kurt everything, Rachel was keeping that promise. "There is definitely some chemistry there; I wouldn't be surprised if Blaine _did_ feel the same way." _Because I already know that he does_. "You should at least tell him how you feel, Kurt."

"I should?" Kurt's eyes were wide with hope and a small smile was starting to form on his lips.

"Yes." Rachel leant down and placed a light kiss to his temple, making Kurt giggle. "I want you two to be boyfriends by tomorrow night, okay?" She teased, giving Kurt's shoulders a squeeze.

"Okay," Kurt grinned. Suddenly his grin disappeared to be replaced by concern. "What about Thad?"

"Just tell him… things weren't working out between you two and you didn't want to lead him on because you think you have feelings for someone else." She shrugged casually, as if the answer to Kurt's question was obvious. "It's less cliché than 'It's not you, it's me' or some shit like that and it _is_true."

Kurt thought about it for a moment, realising that what he was doing _was_ leading Thad on. He'd have to do it tomorrow, which would be horrible; Thad had offered to take Kurt to brunch, and at a proper restaurant this time rather than one of the little cafés near NYADA. It wasn't really breaking up, but Kurt had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that Thad would see it that way. But then Kurt couldn't ignore his feelings for Blaine.

* * *

"I don't know, man." Blaine said uneasily as he paced around his dressing room, Finn watching him move back and forth from where he sat next to Blaine's dresser. Finn and Blaine had become pretty good friends over the past few weeks ever since Blaine's indirect confession of his feelings for Kurt, and now Finn had turned up at the end of _West Side Story_ to ask Blaine why he _still_hadn't told Kurt how he felt. "I don't think I can do it."

"Why?" Finn asked, frowning at Blaine. "Why can't you just tell him?"

Blaine stopped pacing and ran a hand through his hair. "It's not that simple, Finn." He mumbled, facing away from Finn to hide how his eyes were starting to water at remembering how he had driven Kurt into the arms of another man.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Finn exclaimed as he jumped up out of his chair in exasperation. "It _is_that simple!"

"_Who_keeps saying that?" Blaine turned to him, eyeing him closely whilst deep down hoping that Finn was talking about Kurt, about how he was in the same position as Blaine; he had feelings for him, but didn't know how to deal with them or if doing so would be crossing a boundary.

Finn blushed slightly and stared at Blaine, frozen, before mumbling. "Just… people."

Blaine shook his head and began pacing again, ignoring Finn's evasiveness and turning his thoughts back to the one person he couldn't stop thinking about; Kurt. "I made a mistake, Finn," He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned back to Finn. "A big one."

Finn's eyes widened and his shoulders tensed up, and suddenly Blaine found himself on the end of a death glare. "What did you do Blaine?"

"I… I," Blaine spluttered, taking a step backwards when Finn took one towards him. "I introduced him to my friend Thad," Blaine almost whimpered when his back hit the wall. "They really hit it off and now they're dating and I-"

"Dating?" Blaine realised that he'd shut his eyes in his panic, and upon opening them saw that Finn was now staring at the floor, the cogs in his head visibly trying to comprehend what Blaine had blurted out. "Since when?"

"Well, I-I introduced them last Sunday-"

"Yeah I know that." Finn butted in. "I meant, since _when_ were they _dating_? They haven't even known each other for a whole week!"

"How do you know about Thad?" Blaine was suddenly the confused one, staring at Finn and trying to figure out if he'd let it slip accidentally, but he had barely spoken to Finn all week.

"Rachel told me." Finn shrugged. "Kurt told her, so she told me. Look, stop trying to change the subject, dude," Finn was suddenly serious again. "And answer my question; since _when_ has Kurt been dating this Thad guy? The last I heard they'd gotten coffee together and they went for lunch yesterday, but not _dating_."

"Well, I- I don't know if they _are_ dating, but they have been on _dates_."

"Yeah, _dates_." Finn echoed, saying the words as if Blaine wasn't hearing them properly and saying them twice would make him understand, but it didn't. "Blaine, just because they've been on dates it doesn't mean that they're _dating_." Finn smiled at him softly as he watched Blaine's face cloud over with realization. "Dude, they haven't even kissed yet."

Blaine's eyes snapped up to Finn's, his face a picture of shock. "How do you know that?"

"Rachel." Finn stated, shrugging his shoulders before glancing down at his watch. "Speaking of my fiancée, I should be getting home." Finn turned and picked up his jacket from where it was hung over the back of the chair he had been sitting in earlier. The two men said their goodbyes before Finn left, but not before Finn made Blaine _promise_ to tell Kurt how he felt.

* * *

Kurt got home to an empty apartment, and he felt his excitement plummet; he had wanted to rush in and come clean about his feelings to Blaine, doing it quickly so that he couldn't change his mind, much like ripping off a band aid. But the unoccupied rooms made his confidence begin to ebb, until he realized that Blaine not being here was in fact incredibly helpful; it gave him time to figure out exactly what he wanted to say to him.

* * *

Blaine closed the door to his dressing room twenty minutes after Finn had left, pulling on his jacket and turning left instead of right, deciding to take the actors' exit rather than the main foyer. It would take him longer, but Blaine needed the extra time to figure out how he was going to confess to Kurt when he got home. _Home_. Where Kurt was. Probably waiting up for Blaine to get back as he did most nights, just to make sure Blaine got home safely.

"Blaine, wait up!" Blaine's daydreams were cut short by a voice behind him, accompanied by footsteps running down the hallway behind him. Blaine knew that voice, and in just three words it managed to burst his bubble of hope. Blaine turned to see Thad just as he reached him, slowing to a walk and falling into step beside him.

"Hey Thad," Blaine smiled, trying to stay cheery in front of the man who was stopping him from being with the man he loved, despite what Finn had told him. "Good show tonight."

"Thanks," Thad beamed, "You were amazing, as always." Blaine chuckled, unable to keep back his modest nature as he denied that he was _that _good. "I mean it, B," Thad continued as they approached the doors that would lead them out onto the street. "You really are amazing, and I don't just mean on the stage."

"What do you mean?" Blaine looked at Thad with sideways glance, not really wanting to face him fully. Thad put his hand on Blaine's shoulder and pulled him to a stop, turning Blaine to face him at the same time.

"I just, I wanted to say thank you, for introducing me to Kurt the other day," Thad blushed and looked to the floor, taking his hand of Blaine's shoulder and running it through his hair. Blaine felt a pang of jealousy bigger than he ever had before; he'd never spoken to Thad about his relationship – whatever that may be – with Kurt, but now that he was it just drove the stake further through his heart. "He's really great, and I- I really hope that our relationship moves on from just coffee and brunch, y'know?" _Yes, I do know. Because I want it, too._ "Does-" Thad hesitated before looking Blaine in the eye. "Does he ever talk about me? Y'know, how he feels about me and stuff?"

Blaine could see that his eyes were full of hope, wanting Blaine to tell him how Kurt just never stopped talking about him and he wanted the same things as Thad did, and deep down Blaine wanted to say that just to make his friend happy, but because Thad was in fact one of his _best friends_, Blaine had to tell the truth.

"Well, y'know our works overlap most of the time, so really we don't see each other that much at home." Blaine shifted his weight from one foot to the other, feeling a little guilty as Thad's face dropped slightly.

"Oh, right," The two friends both turned their gazes away from the other, equally wanting this moment to just be over and done with. "Well, that's understandable… He's a teacher, you work here… Yeah, I can see how that would happen. Well I'll, er; I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Blaine looked up again to see Thad partially smiling, one side of his mouth curled up without the smile reaching his eyes. "Bye Blaine." He raised his hand in a slight wave and left, heading out through the door and onto the street without looking back.

Blaine stood staring at the door where Thad had disappeared, his heart sinking even further when he thought over Thad's words. _Tomorrow_ meant two things; one, Blaine would see Thad at work as usual, but tomorrow would be different because, two, Thad was taking Kurt out for brunch and he would most likely recount the whole occasion to Blaine, ignorant to the dagger he was pushing further and further through Blaine's heart.

"Blaine?" Blaine's head snapped up to look around him to see where the voice was coming from. The voice was soft and caring, and that was probably why Blaine hadn't expected the source of it to be Santana Lopez. She was stood just outside the door to her dressing room, gazing at him with soft eyes, obviously having overheard the exchange between Thad and Blaine. "Are you okay?" She stepped forward as she spoke, leaning slightly as if she couldn't quite see him. It was only then that Blaine realised he was crying.

* * *

Kurt was sat on the sofa in the living room, nervously shifting every few minutes whilst he attempted to watch… something. He wasn't even paying attention anymore. He was just waiting for Blaine to get home, choosing the 'sooner rather than later' option to express himself.

His phone buzzed to his right and he casually looked over to see who the text was from, grabbing his phone when he realised that it was from Blaine.

_Don't wait up for me tonight,_ it read. _I'm going for a drink with Santana so I'll be home later than usual. B x_

Kurt stared at the screen for a few seconds, frowning. Blaine didn't even _like_ Santana. Well, he'd never told Kurt that he didn't, but then again he'd never told Kurt if he _did_. But why was Blaine going for a drink with her? The last time Blaine had gone somewhere with Santana and alcohol was involved, he'd come back completely out-of-his-mind drunk. Kurt quickly fired off a reply.

_What do you mean 'a drink'? Don't you have work tomorrow? X_

Less than a minute later, Kurt's phone buzzed again.

_Yes, that's why I'm not going to get drunk. We just fancied a catch-up, that's all. Now go get some sleep! X_

Kurt still found it hard to _completely_ believe that Blaine was just going for an innocent drink with Santana, but he _was_ exhausted and so glumly trudged off to bed.

_Confessing my love for Blaine will have to wait until the morning_, Kurt thought to himself as he got changed into his pyjamas and slid into his bed. _I just hope I can do it before Thad comes_.

* * *

"What's going on, Blaine?" Santana kept her voice down as she leant in close, warily eyeing the other people around her and Blaine as they sat in Tonic. Blaine was subdued and moping as he stared at the untouched beer in his hands. When he didn't reply, Santana tried a different angle. "I heard you talking to Thad earlier," She said softly. "Is this about Kurt or something?" Blaine's eyes finally looked up to meet hers.

"Is _what_ about Kurt?" Blaine surprised himself by saying it with so much venom in his voice, but right now he just wanted to curl up in his sock draw and sleep for days until the pains in his chest went away. However, his attitude hadn't put Santana off; in fact, it was just the proof she needed that she was right.

"This," She gestured to him with a wave of her hand. "This… sulking."

"I'm not sulking." Blaine mumbled, looking down at the floor.

"Yes you are," Santana said firmly, and Blaine knew there was no point in arguing. Santana was right; he _was_ sulking, but it was only because he still couldn't believe that he hadn't spoken up to Kurt sooner. "Just tell him how you feel, Blaine."

Blaine stared at her in confusion, wondering how on earth she could read his mind. "T-tell him what?"

"Tell. Kurt. That. You. Like. Him" Santana said, saying each word slowly but clearly to really drive the message home.

"How did you-?"

"Never mind how I knew, Blainers," She waved him off, obviously beginning to near the end of her infamously short temper at Blaine's stupid questions. "Just tell him, kay?"

Blaine nodded softly, beginning to grin widely. "Thanks Santana." He leant across the small table and hugged her tightly, still wondering where the usual, sassy and sarcastic Santana had disappeared to.

"No problem, Hobbit," Ah, there she was. "Just tell him, okay? I know how much it hurts when you can't be with someone you love," Blaine recalled the story she'd told him of her coming to terms with her own sexuality and realising her feelings for Brittany. "And I also know how _amazing_ it feels when you finally get to be with them." She added as she pulled away, her eyes smiling for her as she thought of her girlfriend. "I'd better head off. Britts is waiting for me at home and I can only stay away from her for so long." Santana blushed slightly as she grinned, getting ready to leave. "Want a ride?"

"Yeah, go on then," Blaine beamed, taking one large drink from his beer before setting it down on the table and joining Santana as she left.

Less than ten minutes later Blaine was letting himself into the apartment, having said goodbye to Santana in the car and waving to her as she drove away, to find that Kurt had listened to him and gone to bed earlier. Relieved that he had until the morning to figure out that he wanted to say to Kurt and more importantly _how_, Blaine crawled into bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

_Saturday_

Kurt woke with a start, knowing that there was something important that he had to do today and racking his just-woken brain for what that something was. He tumbled out of bed and shuffled out into the hallway towards the bathroom. He passed Blaine's door, which was slightly ajar, and noticed the unmistakable form of his roommate tangled up in the bed sheets, his upper body on show as the fabric encased the lower.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Kurt continued towards the bathroom and hopped in the shower, resolving to talk to Blaine over breakfast, or in Kurt's case, coffee; he couldn't exactly eat breakfast before going to brunch with Thad. Damn it. _Thad_. Kurt reasoned that it was probably just gone seven am, and Thad wasn't due to pick him up until half past ten, which gave Kurt roughly three hours to sort everything out after his shower.

* * *

The sound of the shower being turned on woke Blaine from his slumber, and he groaned as he tried to free his legs from the mess of bed sheets that covered him from the stomach down. Immediately the previous night came rushing back to him; his conversations with Finn, Thad and then Santana, each of them contributing to his decision to tell Kurt how he felt.

Resisting the urge to run down the hall and pound on the bathroom door until Kurt opened it, most likely with a towel around his waist, his hair still dripping… No, Blaine had to _focus_. Pulling on a pair of sweatpants he made his way to the kitchen and began making breakfast for the two of them, fully aware of the fact that Kurt was supposed to be going to brunch with Thad in just a few hours.

And decided to blissfully ignore it.

* * *

Walking down the hallway to the kitchen about forty-five minutes later, skin-regime done and wearing an immaculate outfit as he always did, Kurt was greeted by the smell of pancakes, coffee and was that _waffles_?

He entered the kitchen to see Blaine putting two plates facing each other on opposite sides of the table, supplementing them with cutlery and then standing back to appreciate his work. He glanced up at Kurt and beamed, gesturing for Kurt to sit down.

"Good morning," He chirped, turning to get a plate stacked with pancakes and waffles and setting it down on the table between the two plates as Kurt cautiously sat down.

"Good morning," He answered uncertainly. "Blaine, what is all of this?" He looked down at the still-steaming breakfast and felt his stomach yearn for him to just reach out and eat it.

"Breakfast," Blaine was still beaming when he sat down, pouring himself a mug of coffee before doing the same for Kurt.

"Yes, I know _that_," Kurt rolled his eyes and shook his head lightly. "I mean, what is all of _this_?" He gestured to the plate of food, his earlier resolve to confess to Blaine slipping from his grasp.

Blaine merely shrugged. "It's not often I'm up before you," He said. "I just thought I'd make us some breakfast whilst I waited for you to get up."

"I _was_ up before you; I saw you still asleep in bed when I went for a shower." Kurt countered, blushing when he realized that he'd just admitted to seeing Blaine half-naked in bed. Blaine realized it too, and flushed red himself when he thought about the fact that his comforter was very close to revealing that he wasn't wearing anything last night.

"You did?"

"Your door was open." Kurt murmered, averting his gaze as he turned an even brighter shade of pink. Blaine chuckled at him as he helped himself to the pancakes and waffles that still sat untouched between them. Inside his heart was beating rapidly, waiting for a window of opportunity to speak up. Opposite him, Kurt was trying to control his breathing as he sipped at his coffee. Sat here with Blaine, he thought about how much easier things would be if they were a couple. They could share a bed, Kurt's of course, and turn Blaine's bedroom into the walk-in wardrobe Kurt had always wanted. They could snuggle together on the sofa whilst watching one of those soppy rom-coms that always appeared on TV. In that moment Kurt decided that he wanted all of that; he wanted a _relationship_, and not with just anyone. He wanted it with _Blaine_.

"Blaine, I have something to tell you."

* * *

**:O! Points to the people who find the AVPM reference - it's kinda easy but I just HAD to put it in there. I'll give you a mention, too :)**

**Oh, guys I got a Tumblr account today! :D .com - go find me! :) I'll follow anyone who follows me, and just to let you all know I reblog anything I find adorable, mostly Klaine, but some other stuff thrown in too. And I may start posting sneak peeks of this story - and others - too, so keep an eye out for that if you do end up following me. **

**I think I mentioned a few chapters ago that I'm planning on uploading another story apart from this and True Colours, but life's been a little hectic this week so I haven't had a chance to start it, and so I will be temporarily postponing it. I may actually just upload what I've done as a drabble... Hmm.**

**Reviews? :) x**

**C xx**


	20. Progress

**Okay, so I actually wrote all of this today, and I'm pretty happy with it. It's shorter than I anticipated, but that's mainly because I got to the end and couldn't think of a way to possibly add more into this chapter. It seemed a little rushed to me when I finished it, but my friend Sam just read it and she _freaked_, so I'm gonna take that as a good sign.**

**Oh, and RainySunnyEnding, I hope this cheers you up :) xx**

* * *

"Blaine, I have something to tell you."

Blaine looked up at Kurt expectantly, both of them with their hearts beating in their throats as they both waited for the next words that passed Kurt's lips.

"Mm?" Blaine watched Kurt closely; him telling Kurt how he felt depended on what Kurt had to say next; what if he was telling Blaine that he and Thad were taking the next step in their relationship and Blaine should really buy some earplugs soon, just to be prepared? What if Kurt was telling him he didn't like him anymore and he wanted him to move out? Panicked thoughts ran through Blaine's mind, each one too fast to grab hold of and analyse.

"I… I-" Kurt swallowed his stutters and took a deep breath to steady himself. This was it. It was time to tell Blaine everything, no matter what the reaction he got from doing so. He began imagining the different ways that this could play out; Blaine could just stare at him, confused; or he could angry, maybe upset that Kurt was pushing his feelings onto him; he could be indifferent and just ignore that Kurt had said anything; _or_ he could even jump up and declare he felt the same way.

Kurt really hoped it was the last one.

"Kurt?" Blaine's soft voice ripped Kurt from the daydream he didn't realise he'd been having, and Kurt became aware of the fact that he'd been staring into his coffee for… well, for however long he'd been inattentive for.

When Kurt looked up he felt a jolt run through him; Blaine was staring at him, his hazel-brown eyes full of compassion and concern for the man across the table from him. Kurt could have sworn that he saw a passion there, a caring admiration that burnt right through Kurt's eyes and made his heart melt in his chest, but he blushed and looked away before he could acknowledge it.

"What is it?" Blaine asked softly, taking a risk and resting his hand on Kurt's, his eyes never leaving the breath-taking glasz ones in front of him.

Kurt took a deep breath and sighed lightly before closing his eyes and blurting out, "I'm going to end it with Thad."

* * *

It took a few seconds for Blaine to fully understand what Kurt had said. _I'm going to end it with Thad_. The words made Blaine's heart sing. It wasn't exactly what he'd been hoping for – ever since Finn had told Blaine that he was pretty sure Kurt felt the same way about him, Blaine had been preparing himself for a confession every time Kurt opened his mouth – but this was good; this was progress.

"When?" He whispered, his voice only just escaping his throat due to all of the emotion weighing it down. Kurt looked up at him then, and Blaine prayed that the relief – the hope – that he felt rocket within him could be seen in his eyes, heard in his voice.

"This morning," Kurt's voice was just as raw as Blaine's was. "When he comes to pick me up. It's not fair on him for me to lead him on, and so I have to end it now before I get in too deep." Tears were starting to sting at his eyes now as he let out a small sob; he felt horrible about what he was going to do, what he was going to say, but he knew it was the right thing to do. He couldn't live the lie anymore.

"Do you want me to go?" Blaine asked, his voice now back above a whisper but still soft and calming.

"Please," Kurt managed to nod his head slightly before his lungs nearly burst from holding back his cries. "Excuse me." He stood up, sliding his hand out from underneath Blaine's, and hurried towards his room. Blaine heard the door shut, and a few seconds later it was followed by the sound of sobbing, rapid breathing desperate for air rather than tears.

He was still sat with his hand across the table, his fingers now touching the wood where Kurt's warm hand had been. He wanted to pull his hand back, but he couldn't bring himself to move. He was still reeling from Kurt's plan, conflicting feelings battling inside his head. On the one hand, Kurt breaking up with Thad meant that Kurt would _definitely_ be single and Blaine would be free to tell him how he felt with no implications. However, Kurt breaking up with Thad _also_ meant a very distraught Thad that evening, and being his best friend Blaine would have the task of consoling him. He dreaded it already; hearing Thad cry over Kurt, over what he had lost, would be hard to sit through, and Blaine had a feeling that it wouldn't be a quick cry and a hug. It would be hours; Thad would most likely call him straight away and tell Blaine what happened, asking for his advice and seeking his comfort.

* * *

A few hours later Blaine found himself heading back to the apartment after receiving a text from Kurt, asking him to come home. He had been out for nearly an hour and a half now, having left as soon as Thad had texted Kurt to let him know he was on his way, but he couldn't stop himself from wondering what was happening in their apartment at that very second.

At first Blaine had thought about going to Clement Clarke Moore Park because it was close enough to the apartment should Kurt call him back, but when he remembered the last time he was there – the day he'd broken up with Sebastian 5 weeks ago – he turned on his heel and headed in the other direction. He hadn't paid attention to where he was going, just randomly turning corners and crossing streets, and in less than half an hour he'd found himself at Madison Square Park.

Knowing that he was still relatively close to home should Kurt need him, Blaine allowed himself to wander around the park before coming to rest under a tree, seating himself down on the grass and leaning his back against the trunk. Blaine hadn't realised that he was even tired until that moment, and he felt his eyelids drooping in the mid-morning sun as he rested his head back, arms crossed against his chest and his legs stretched out together in front of him.

He must have dozed off for around 15 minutes before a soft thud against the tree above his head startled him awake. The ball must have missed him by a whisker for the expression on the child's face as she came to collect it was one of shock.

"I-I'm sorry," He stuttered, picking up the ball and scurrying away. Blaine watched him as he ran back over to a small group, mainly of children, with a few adults standing by, remembering how it felt to be that young and carefree with no complicated feelings towards roommates.

"I am _ever so sorry_," A woman stood a few feet away from him, bending down slightly to get Blaine's attention. Blaine turned to her and smiled, shaking his head slightly as he assured her it was fine.

"Is he your son?" Blaine asked, indicating towards the boy who had collected the football.

"No," The woman smiled sadly. "I don't have any children. I'm just helping my friends out by being another pair of eyes and ears around."

"Oh, right," Blaine wasn't really sure what to say to that, and so he allowed himself to properly look at this woman's appearance; she was just taller than average height by what Blaine could tell, her pale blue dress hanging just on her knee. She had beautiful red hair which was tied back neatly into a long ponytail, a few stands falling into her shocking green eyes causing her to brush them back with her hand every few minutes. "I'm Blaine," Blaine stood and put his hand out, keeping his distance slightly so that the height difference between them wasn't too noticeable.

"Kelly," She smiled, taking his hand in hers for a few seconds before pulling away again. "So what brings you to the park?" Kelly smiled and gestured around her. "Do you have any children?"

"Er, no," Blaine rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "My, er- My roommate's actually breaking up with someone right now," Kelly's smile dropped and was replaced by a look of slightly amused shock, unsure of how _exactly_ to react. "I thought I'd give them some space."

"Completely understandable," Kelly nodded, turning her gaze back to the children to make sure that her friends were still coping. Inside Blaine was struggling with his emotions again; what would he do when he got home? Should he tell Kurt how he felt, or should he let the whole situation die down first? One of Kelly's friends called her name to tell her that they were leaving, waving her over as they gathered the small group of children together. "Well, that's me." She smiled to Blaine, waving slightly as she started to take a few steps away. "Bye, Blaine."

"Bye, Kelly." Blaine returned her wave and smile and watched her walk away, waiting until she was back with her friends before beginning to wander away in a different direction. When he reached the edge of the park his phone buzzed in his pocket. Blaine pulled it out eagerly, hoping that it was Kurt. His heart leapt a little in his chest when he saw that it was, and quickly he opened the text.

_It's over now. Thad's gone. Come home? K x_

Blaine didn't even have to hesitate. He typed out his reply as he crossed the street, already picking up his pace as he made his way home.

_On way now. Will be 15 minutes tops. B x_

Blaine made it home in just over ten minutes, taking the stairs two at a time rather than waiting for the elevator and nearly falling into the apartment. Immediately he started looking for Kurt, trying to locate him.

"Kurt?" He called out, taking a few steps further into the apartment as he took his jacket off, slinging it towards the table and missing. "Are you okay?"

"Blaine?" A muffled voice came from the living room, and Blaine immediately ran towards it. He found Kurt sat on the sofa, a cushion hugged to his chest as silent tears ran down his cheeks. Kurt turned to look up at him, his eyes wide and lost.

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine mumbled, sitting himself down next to his roommate and pulling him into his embrace, "What happened?"

"It was easier than I thought it would be," Kurt whispered, his voice still slightly muffled as he allowed himself to be held. "I told him that I couldn't see him anymore, that I was leading him on and it wasn't fair on either of us to keep the relationship going. But he didn't seem to understand, and he kept questioning me about why I was ending it." Kurt was starting to gain volume as he spoke, coming close to tears again whilst Blaine just held him and listened. "I mean, it's not like we were even _together_! We went out a few times, but we didn't even kiss! I don't understand why he was so upset!"

The comment was left hanging in the air, almost as if Kurt was asking Blaine if he knew why. "Thad tends to get very… keen at the beginning of new relationships," Blaine told him quietly. "It's normally what scares people off; he's too loving for his own good."

Kurt nodded against his chest, moving his hand up to cling onto Blaine's arm. "But I couldn't tell him _why_ I had to end it; it seemed too harsh to dump that on him as well as essentially breaking up with him."

"Why _did_ you break up with him?" Blaine asked quietly, gently stroking Kurt's hair as he rocked him softly. Kurt stiffened in his arms and sat up, avoiding looking at Blaine. Blaine didn't want to press him, it was obviously a difficult topic for Kurt, but he had to know if it was something he could avoid; something he could make better.

"I… I'm in love with somebody else." Kurt whispered, his face scarlet as he looked up at Blaine through his lashes. Blaine swallowed hard, recognising that look of adoration and love; he used to look at Sebastian the same way, and now that was how he looked at Kurt. His heart threatened to stop beating and his whole chest threatened to explode, a giddy feeling in his head slowly melting into his bloodstream and filling his entire being with anticipation.

"And who would that be?" Blaine asked, his voice barely above a whisper but in such close proximity Kurt could easily hear him.

"I think you know who." Kurt grinned, leaning forwards as far as he would dare so that his nose was only centimetres away from Blaine's. He could feel the warmth of Blaine's breath of his lips, and he was suddenly reminded of the incident on that Sunday all those weeks ago, when he had only just found Blaine again and the shorter boy had nearly kissed him, the two of them so close that their breaths mixed between them. From here, Kurt could smell Blaine's cologne, the intoxicating scent one that he could breathe in forever and never get sick of it.

But there was one thing different from that Sunday five weeks ago; now, Kurt had no intention of leaving the room devoid of a kiss.

In a split-second decision, Kurt leant forward and closed the gap, the feeling of his lips brushing against Blaine's making him gasp; half in anticipation and want for more, the other half in shock that this was actually _finally_ happening. And then Blaine's hand was brushing his cheek, the two of them already breathing heavily as Blaine shifted his hips slightly, allowing him to get closer. Blaine's hand was tipping Kurt's chin up slightly, allowing them to kiss again. This time it was deeper, more desperate now that they were both aware of what was happening, even if they didn't quite believe it.

Blaine let out a small moan when he felt Kurt's tongue brush against his bottom lip, parting his lips immediately to give Kurt more access. And then Kurt was inside his mouth, gently tracing Blaine's tongue with his own as he placed one hand on Blaine's thigh. In response, Blaine's other hand snapped to Kurt's waist, pulling their bodies closer together as he leant backwards, beckoning for Kurt to come with him.

They ended up breaking apart, even if only for a second, as Blaine laid himself down across the sofa, Kurt crawling up until he was on top of him, straddling the hips of the boy beneath him. As soon as they stopped moving their lips were attached again, now more relaxed and comfortable, and everything just seemed to be _right_; from the way Kurt's hand started at Blaine's shoulder and slowly caressed won the side of his body, coming to a stop on his hip; the way that Blaine had he feet on the sofa, his knees bent, allowing Kurt's legs to slot in between so that they could get closer; and the way that every movement from one tongue evoked a soft yet meaningful moan from the owner of the other.

And then the need for oxygen became too strong, and even though death by kissing seemed like a pretty good way to go, Kurt reluctantly pulled back. Blaine was panting beneath him, his hands still resting where they had ended up on Kurt's hips as he'd pulled him closer, expertly making sure that the friction between them was well-maintained, yet still enough to leave them wanting more.

"You know… you never said you loved me back," Kurt teased with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Beneath him Blaine grinned, a hand snaking up Kurt's side and making him shiver, finally finding its way into Kurt's hair and round to the back of his neck.

"I love you, too."

* * *

**! *does small victory dance* :D **

**Yeah, I _was_ going to write the break up, and then maybe make this chapter longer by writing the night after when Blaine goes to work and sees Thad, but to be honest I didn't really want to put Thad anywhere _near_ the ah-MAY-zing Klaine bubble I created, so I left him out :p**

**I'll cover that in the next chapter, though.**

**But yayayayayyaayyayayayayayayy! :D**

**Until Thursday, **

**C xx**


	21. When Did You Realise?

**Okay so this chapter is shorter, a lot shorter - I didn't even use a line break! :O basically, after the last chapter I just wanted to write some fluff, so that's what this chapter is. I'll continue this at the bottom...**

* * *

"It feels so great that I can _finally_ do this," Blaine grinned, leaning in to graze his lips against Kurt's before returning to give him a proper kiss. When he pulled back Kurt was grinning, a glint in his eye that Blaine knew was just for him. Half an hour had passed since both of them had confessed their feelings to one another, that time spent mostly kissing, ranging from sweet, tender kisses to desperate, hungry ones that left them panting when they finally pulled away. They had managed to switch positions; Kurt's back now lay against the opposite end of the sofa, Blaine lazily on top of him and stroking Kurt's hair idly with his hand, the other holding up some of his weight.

"I know," Kurt leant up and pressed his lips to Blaine's, neither of them caring that both pairs were now slightly swollen from their numerous attacks on each other. "Blaine?"

"Mm?"

"How long have you liked me?"

Blaine froze halfway through reaching down to press a kiss to Kurt's neck, caught off guard by the question. "Well, I've always liked you Kurt," He smiled, changing his course and pressing a chaste kiss to Kurt's lips instead. "Ever since we met when we were eight years old, even when we weren't in touch for all those years-"

"Sixteen." Kurt interjected.

"-For all those _sixteen_ years- even _then_, I've always _liked_ you, Kurt."

"That's not what I meant," Kurt rolled his eyes, huffing slightly but smirking all the same. "I meant; how long have you _loved_ me?" His cheeks reddened, a rosy glow gracing his face that contrasted with the paleness of his skin, as he remembered that Blaine _loved_ him.

Blaine thought about it for a second, his face clouding over slightly as he searched back through his memory for the moment he realised that he was in love with his childhood best friend, before his smile returned and he placed a kiss on each of Kurt's cheeks where his blush sat, intensifying the colour. "To be honest; I'm not really sure. I _would_ say that it was the moment I saw you again that day you came to my dressing room, but I don't think it was." Kurt's face dropped slightly.

"Oh," He said quietly, his gaze dropping away from Blaine. "It wasn't?"

"No," Blaine almost whispered back, a small grin slowly appearing on his lips. "I think it was a long time before then, I just didn't realise." Kurt's face lit up again and he pulled Blaine down for a kiss, both of them beaming when they pulled away. However, Kurt's face soon contorted into confusion.

"But, how could you know that you loved me when I wasn't even a part of your life?" Kurt asked, deep oceans of glasz searching rich pools of honey. They sat up, moving together until they were sitting facing each other. Kurt was basically in Blaine's lap as they both leant against the back of the sofa, Blaine softly stroking Kurt's hair with one hand while the held onto Kurt's.

"Easily," Blaine whispered. "I remembered you." Kurt's heart swelled and his eyes began to tear up at the thought that Blaine could have loved him all this time, even if their paths were leading in different directions until they finally crossed again.

"But what about Sebastian?" Kurt asked, noticing the grimace Blaine pulled at the mention of his ex-boyfriend. "Didn't you love him?"

"Well, yeah," Blaine replied flatly. "Otherwise I wouldn't have been with him. But it was different. I can't explain how; it just was. With him, it felt… nice; I was part of a couple, he _seemed_ to love me back and we were happy together, but it always seemed like there was something… missing. Like we weren't complete." Kurt listened, unable to tear his eyes away from the handsome man in front of him as he spoke. "But with you," Blaine's eyes sought out Kurt's again, full of the emotions he felt for the chestnut-haired man sat opposite him. "It just… We've known each other for so long and we were so close as kids, I never stopped thinking about you after I left. When I was trying to come to terms with myself I wondered if _you_ were in the same situation; if you'd ever been so confused by your own feelings that you just wanted to be somebody else. I thought about you a lot, although once I started getting parts in plays and I went to Dalton, I started to think about you less and less and so when I _did_ think about you I felt guilty. And then finding you again after all these years, I just… It seemed too good to be true. Now being able to tell you that I love you," Both boys melted slightly at hearing the words. "It feels _right_. Nothing's missing from my life now; I'm complete. With you."

Blaine glanced up to look at Kurt only to see a few tears trailing down his cheeks, a broken smile on his lips as he tried to hold himself back from crying. Instinctively Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt, pulling him in close, and he suddenly realised that this was how he wanted to be in the years to come; not necessarily making Kurt cry by pouring his heart out to him, but Blaine wanted to be able to take Kurt in his arms, protect him from harm and tell him that he loved him every single day.

"What about you?" Blaine asked softly, pulling away slightly so that he could look at Kurt in the face again. Kurt studied him thoughtfully, not sure what he meant. "When did you realise you loved me?"

Kurt didn't take as long to think about it as Blaine had, instantly smiling and blushing at the same time. "When you left."

"But we were nine?" Blaine frowned, turning the statement into a question so that Kurt would explain.

"I know," Kurt bit his lip as he smiled, keeping his gaze away from Blaine as he explained. "At first I think I missed you so much that I thought the only reasonable explanation for it was love – I missed you nearly as much as I did my mother, and because I loved her so much I figured that I must love you too if I missed you that much – and, y'know, I guessed I'd always have a place for you in my heart if I ever met you again, and I think it's quite obvious that I still do." Blaine watched as an adorable blush crept up Kurt's neck and onto his cheeks, and he leant forward as he put his hand under Kurt's chin and turned his face so that they were facing each other again. Kurt kept his gaze down for a few seconds before looking up, their eyes locking together in an instant.

In that moment, Blaine had a thousand things he wanted to say dancing on his tongue but he couldn't focus on a single one long enough to actually say the words out loud, and so instead he spoke the only three words that could sum up how he felt in that single instant;

"I love you." The words still felt slightly foreign in his mouth, but he was more than willing to keep saying it until it felt natural, no matter how long it took.

Kurt grinned, a small tear escaping as he did so, and Blaine brushed it away with his thumb before cupping Kurt's cheek with his hand.

"I love you, too." Kurt whispered as he leant into Blaine's touch, closing his eyes to savour the feeling. Kurt sighed softly, and Blaine watched him with amused interest as he began to caress Kurt's cheek with his thumb. When Kurt leant even more into him, his lips parting slightly in surprise, Blaine couldn't hold back any longer and pressed their lips together. He felt Kurt jump beneath him, but he soon relaxed and returned the kiss, parting his lips slightly wider to allow Blaine more access.

After a few seconds Blaine reluctantly pulled away, the nagging thought at the back of his mind suddenly throwing itself into his direct attention.

"I have to go to work soon," He mumbled, resting his forehead against Kurt's and closing his eyes.

"Oh," Kurt whispered softly before tensing and snapping his eyes open. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

"What are we going to do, Blaine? You can't tell him! He'll be devastated! You're his- And _I'm _his-"

"Kurt, it'll be fine." Blaine cut him off, his tone firm but still caring and he began to rub Kurt's cheek again with his thumb, looking up through his lashes into Kurt's eyes. Kurt froze, his eyes wide with concern and anxiety as he remembered that Blaine's cast mate and _best friend_ was the one and only Thad Harwood.

"Are you going to-?" Kurt's voice was quiet and timid, wobbling slightly as he tried to contain his emotions.

"Tell him?" Blaine finished for him and Kurt nodded, the movement awkward as their heads were still together. "It's up to you, Kurt. I don't mind keeping this – whatever _this_ is – quiet if you want."

Kurt hesitated before nodding slowly. "I don't want him to find out. Not yet. It's not that I don't want to be with you, Blaine, because I do, but it's just- I don't think it will be fair on Thad _at all_ if he finds out that I dumped him for his best friend."

"That's fine, baby," Blaine whispered, reaching up to press an innocent kiss to Kurt's forehead, unaware of the fireworks exploding in Kurt's chest at hearing Blaine call him 'baby'. "We'll just, keep this quiet for now, okay?" Kurt nodded, smiling again now that his panic had been sorted out as Blaine caressed his cheek one last time before standing up to leave the room. "That means no telling Rachel." He added just as he walked out the door, dodging the cushion that Kurt threw at him.

* * *

**...Hihi! Okay, so I hope you all liked this chapter - I certainly did! Sorry it's late - I had a bit of trouble writing this as I wanted it to actually have Blaine going to work and talking to Thad but I just couldn't get it to fit. Anyway, I know how I'm going to do that now with a little help from RainySunnyEnding :)**

**So, I better go get writing it NOW before I forget everything!**

**Thoughts? :)**

**C xx**


	22. Work Problems

**Okay, reuploading this. I added the little bit with Kurt at the end because I did _not_ like where this ended. Anyway, a little bit of angst due to the fluff we've had for the last two chapters :)**

* * *

Blaine arrived at work twenty minutes later than he intended, repeatedly going back to Kurt for 'just one last kiss' before finally pulling himself away and getting down to the theatre with just under an hour until the curtain went up.

"Hey Hobbit," Santana greeted from the doorway as Blaine passed her dressing room, and although there was a slight teasing in her voice her expression didn't match it. She looked… not sad, but almost pitying, and Blaine stopped abruptly in the corridor, frowning at her.

"What's up, San?" Blaine stepped over to her, gently placing his hand on her elbow and searching her face with his soft yet concerned gaze.

"Not me, Stupid," She smirked, shrugging Blaine's hand off and shifting so that she was leaning against the doorframe with the arm Blaine had held. "_I'm _fine."

"Well what is it then?" Blaine's brow furrowed even deeper, trying to understand what was going on with Santana today. But Santana didn't reply; she merely raised her eyebrows and nodded down the hall, indicating to the door next to Blaine's.

Thad's room.

"Ah," Blaine winced. He stared at Thad's door, wondering how his best friend was coping, but more importantly just _how_ Blaine was going to tell him that he had been the one Kurt had left Thad for.

"Do you know what happened?" Santana's voice snapped him out of his troubled reverie. Blaine shook his head numbly, his eyes being drawn back to Thad's door. He didn't actually _know_ what had happened in that hour he had been out, or what had been said between his two friends. He only knew that Kurt had told Thad that they 'weren't working', and that Kurt didn't want to 'lead Thad on' any longer; there was no mention of a 'someone else', a particular 'Thad's-best-friend-and-Kurt's-roommate-who-he's-in-love-with someone else'. "Are you ok, Hobbit?"

Blaine realised he'd been staring at Thad's door for the past few minutes, still stood in front of Santana who was now watching him carefully. "Yeah, I'm... I…" Blaine turned to face her. "I'm fine. I'd… better go and make sure he's okay." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of Thad's room and Santana nodded, smiling softly before watching Blaine walk down the corridor. Blaine glanced nervously at her as he knocked on Thad's door, just managing to catch her wave slightly before disappearing into her dressing room.

"Blaine?" Thad's watery voice made Blaine's head snap round to see his best friend stood red-faced with tear-stained cheeks. Blaine didn't say anything, just silently stepped forward with his arms out to pull Thad into a hug. Thad fell into his arms, sobbing into his shoulder as Blaine tried to shuffle him into the room far enough so that he could close the door behind him.

Blaine finally had Thad calmed down ten minutes later. "So, how are you doing, T?" Blaine asked gently, a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Better," Thad sniffed. "How's Kurt?"

"He's… okay," Blaine hesitated, his heart rapidly increasing as he tried to keep conversation _off_ of Kurt just in case he slipped up and told Thad everything. "But I'm more worried about _you_ right now," Blaine squeezed Thad's shoulder, making him look at him. "You're my _best friend_, and you know I'll _always_ be here for you." If Blaine had felt bad before, he felt terrible now; Thad smiled up at him and hugged him, whispering a 'thank you' in his ear, leaving Blaine stinging with guilt. "No problem."

Thad pulled away and glanced up at the clock on his wall, now grinning rather than sobbing. "Oh shit, B, you better go get ready!" Blaine looked up at the clock to see that he only had 10 minutes until curtain call and jumped up off of the sofa and out of the room. Much to Thad's amusement he reappeared seconds later, scrabbling to grab his bag before running back out the room and down the corridor to his own dressing room.

* * *

Kurt couldn't help it; he skipped down the corridor to his room, skipped back down again and then launched himself onto the sofa, giggling gleefully as the pillows broke his fall.

He'd _done it_. He'd _finally_ been honest to Blaine – and himself – and admitted his feelings out loud. Obviously he was a little dejected that he couldn't go and scream if from the rooftops, but he was never really one for attracting a lot of public attention to himself, especially after the way he was treated in high school. Rachel would probably kill him for not telling her straight away, but Kurt had made a promise to Blaine that they would keep this quiet until they were ready to tell everyone.

The morning kept replaying in Kurt's head; how he'd sat with Thad for at least half an hour before finally building up the courage to tell Thad the fact that he wanted to end whatever it was that was going on between them. It took him another ten minutes to actually bring it up and say it out loud, and the discussion had then only lasted ten minutes before Thad left, crying and sobbing but reassuring Kurt he understood. Kurt had spent the next ten minutes on his own, thinking over what he had _just_ said to Thad and what he now _wanted_ to say to Blaine, each of them making him equally as nervous.

But now he'd told Blaine, and Blaine had felt the exact same way. And even though they were keeping quiet about it, they were _together_, and Kurt didn't want that to ever change.

Things were _perfect._

* * *

Blaine didn't think about telling Thad about him and Kurt for the whole of the first half – there was no point. When they broke for the twenty minute intermission, Blaine headed back to his dressing room to call Kurt and tell him that Thad was doing much better now, as had been Kurt's request.

Kurt picked up after the third ring.

"_Hello?_"

"Hey, Kurt, it's me." Blaine made sure his door was closed over – there was no _way_ he wanted anyone to overhear this.

"_Oh, hey Blaine! How is he?_"

"Better. He was still crying when I arrived earlier-"

"_Still?_"

"Yeah. But he's okay now. He's all smiles again after the first half." Blaine heard Kurt chuckle softly on the other end of the phone.

"_That's good – as long as he's okay._"

"Yeah." There was a small pause between them, and Blaine moved over to his dressing table and sat down, eyeing the picture of him and Kurt as kids that still sat in the corner of his mirror. "So, how are you?" Blaine asked in a sing-song voice.

"_I'm good,_" Kurt giggled in reply. "_Not to sound horribly cliché but… I miss you_."

"I miss you, too." Blaine could just imagine Kurt sat on the sofa right now, his phone pressed to his ear as he hugged a cushion to his chest with a wide smile on his face, eyes twinkling. "I still can't believe it, y'know."

"_What do you mean?_"

"Us," Blaine said simply in reply, and heard Kurt sigh softly in his ear. "I just can't believe I can finally tell you that I love you." A slight colour rose on Blaine's cheeks at saying it even though Kurt couldn't see him – those three little words still gave him huge butterflies. He leant forward, resting his hand against his forehead as he closed his eyes, just listening to Kurt's voice on the line.

"_Blaine!_" Kurt hissed, although Blaine could practically _hear_ the massive grin on his lips.

"What?"

"_What if someone hears you?_"

"No-one will hear me, Kurt, I'm in my dressing room-"

"Kurt?" Blaine jumped in the chair where he sat and span round to see Thad standing in his doorway, bottom-lip quivering and eyes welling up again.

"_Blaine? What's- What's going on?_" But Kurt's voice fell on deaf ears as Blaine froze in his seat, a deer-in-the-headlights look plastered across his features.

"You- _You're_ the reason, aren't you?" Thad whispered, his voice breaking as Blaine's brain decided on that moment to give up on him. "Aren't you?" Thad asked again, his voice stronger now as his fists clenched by his sides. Blaine could hear the whispers of other cast members starting out in the hallway, and as he stood he could see Santana gaping at the exchange between the two friends over Thad's shoulder.

"Thad, I-" Blaine started, but Thad turned and pelted down the corridor, pushing through the crowd that had accumulated around Blaine's dressing room. Blaine could still hear Kurt's panicked voice coming from down the phone.

"_Thad? Blaine, what happened? What's going on?_"

"Sorry, babe, I gotta go." Blaine hung up and threw his phone back down onto his dressing table, rushing out into the corridor to try and follow after his best friend. He could just see Thad's mop of black hair disappearing around the corner at the end of the hallway and took a few steps forward to chase after him before a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. He struggled against the grip, tears beginning to form in his eyes as he desperately tried to break free and call after Thad, but whoever it was holding onto him, they were holding fast.

Blaine span around to see Santana gripping his wrist and glaring at him with a stern expression. "I wouldn't bother, Blaine," She said softly, and that made Blaine instantly stop struggling; she _never_ called him 'Blaine', or at least very rarely. "He won't want to talk to you right now." She continued. "Just let him vent on his own and he'll come back soon enough."

"He better do," Sue's voice shocked them all – she _never_ came backstage during a show. She was staring at the corner where Thad had disappeared round, her face contorted in a horrible scowl. "Curtain call is in TEN MINUTES!" She screamed before glaring at the rest of the cast, her gaze hovering on Blaine, before turning on her heel and stalking off.

Everyone stood frozen where they were for the next ten seconds before everyone began scampering around, most surrounding Blaine and pressing him for what had happened. Santana, who was still tightly holding Blaine's wrist, stalked to her dressing room with Blaine in tow. She threw Blaine into the centre of the room before turning back to the crowd outside.

"Don't you guys have something _better_ to do?" She growled, prompting everyone to stop mid-sentence and scurry away. Santana slammed the door shut, making Blaine jump, and then turned to lean on it. "_Bloody animals_." She muttered, shaking her head to herself before sighing heavily and moving over to the sofa she _somehow_ had in her room. For a second Blaine thought she had forgotten about him as he stood fiddling with his fingers in the centre of the room, but as soon as she sat down she looked up at him expectantly.

"So, come on, Pretty Pony, tell Aunty 'Tana what happened." She patted the seat next to her and Blaine frowned; Santana was known for her love of gossip, harvesting it from anyone she could, but Blaine was vaguely aware of a softer side to her – a caring side – that not many people saw. Was this it?

He shuffled over and sat down, curling his knees up to his chest as he sighed heavily. "Well, you see it all started about five weeks ago…"

* * *

"_Sorry, babe, I gotta go._" And then the line went dead.

Kurt stared at his phone in disbelief and fear. What had just happened? One moment he'd been chatting happily to Blaine, jokingly scolding him, and the next Blaine was silent with mumbled voices in the background. And then Blaine had been talking to Thad and he'd disappeared. Had Thad overheard him? Had he found out about Kurt and Blaine merely hours after Kurt had ended things with him?

"Oh shit…"


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys :) Okay so this chapter is longer than the others - one of the longest I've written in a while - but I don't mind. I managed to get quite a bit of story (and fluff) into this chapter, I just hope it all makes sense and you guys like it!**

**Enjoy! Xx**

* * *

Thad had returned just two minutes before curtain call, quite a wise decision as it left Sue no time to interrogate him concerning his whereabouts. He ignored everyone else when he was offstage, choosing to keep to himself rather than acknowledge anyone who spoke to him. And so, everybody turned to Blaine; asking what had happened, why Thad had run out and who was to blame. But, like Thad, Blaine couldn't bring himself to say any words other than his lines in the play. He tried to find Thad after the performance, but he'd already been seized by Sue and dragged to her office. No-one saw him until the evening performance, but his expression gave no clue as to what had happened to him over the previous few hours. Some of the cast even feared that Sue had cut out his tongue.

Blaine had gone out for the few hours between the two shows, spending the afternoon wandering around with Santana and Brittany, giving them a more detailed account of what had happened and listening to their advice. He'd already called Kurt to let him know he wouldn't be home until later – after the evening performance – and promised to tell him everything then. Kurt had been hesitant to wait so long for an explanation, his voice thick with worry, but eventually accepted and let Blaine go.

Another failed attempt to talk to Thad that evening left Blaine even more downhearted. Thad had already grabbed his stuff and gone by the time Blaine worked his way through the bustling corridors and back to his best friend's dressing room. Sighing dejectedly, Blaine had gone back to his own room and gotten his stuff together, merely nodding or waving to people as they said goodbye for the night.

It wasn't until he got home that he said anything.

"Blaine?" Kurt's voice called from somewhere within the apartment when Blaine shut the door behind him. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," Blaine dropped his bag by the door and toed off his shoes, not bothering to take them to his room like he normally did as he wandered into the living room and flopped down on the sofa in the dark. Kurt appeared in the door in his pyjamas a few seconds later, his hair slightly dishevelled from where he must have already been sleeping. "Did I wake you?" Blaine sat up slightly, taking in Kurt's appearance as the taller man flicked the light switch and stepped into the room.

"Wasn't sleeping," Kurt shrugged, sitting down next on the sofa when Blaine moved his legs out of the way. "What happened?" He blinked sleepily at Blaine, and it was obvious that it had been playing on his mind all afternoon. He cuddled into Blaine, listening as he told Kurt _exactly_ what had happened.

* * *

An hour later Blaine had fully recounted the afternoon's events; how he'd managed to comfort Thad before the first act and then had accidentally revealed their new relationship to him, not realising Thad was behind him; when Santana had comforted him during intermission, and had then teamed up with Brittany to offer him advice and listen to his worries.

"So they all know?" Kurt asked quietly, and Blaine felt a pang of guilt; he'd already broken the promise.

"Only Santana and Brittany know for certain… and Thad, I guess. Everyone else just guesses. Of course, I haven't told them, and I don't think Britt or Santana will, either." Kurt nodded softly against Blaine's chest, still thinking over it all.

"I guess this means I have to tell Rachel now…" Kurt muttered as Blaine began to stroke Kurt's hair gently as he leant back against the sofa, Kurt shuffling closer to rest his head on Blaine's chest once more.

"Calm down; there's no need to sound so excited about it!" Blaine laughed, causing deep vibrations in Kurt's ear.

"Sorry," Kurt sighed, looking up at Blaine and smiling weakly. "I guess I just wanted to keep you to myself for a little while longer." His smile widened and his cheeks coloured, and Blaine could feel both of their heartbeats quicken as Kurt's chest rested against his own.

"You could always tell her on Monday… after work," Blaine hummed as Kurt crawled closer, biting his bottom lip adorably. "Keep me to yourself tomorrow."

"I like the sound of that." Kurt whispered, his breath ghosting over Blaine's cheek as he moved down to press a light kiss to the shorter man's neck. Blaine leant his head back as he let out a short gasp, his hands trailing up Kurt's thighs and round onto his hips. Turning his head Kurt captured Blaine's lips in his own, bringing the hand that had been on Blaine's chest up through the dark locks of the man underneath him, finally resting cupping Blaine's cheek. It wasn't a hungry, desperate kiss like the ones they had exchanged that morning, but it was passionate yet calm; meaningful yet controlled. When Kurt began to pull away, Blaine leant further into him, determined not to break the kiss just yet. Kurt giggled at his movement, essentially breaking their contact much to Blaine's dismay. But Blaine couldn't be unhappy about it for long, for being in Kurt's arms used to be what he dreamt about at night; now he dreamt about staying in them forever.

"I've been waiting to do that all. Day." Kurt smiled, his tongue slowly skimming his top lip as he kept his eyes locked with Blaine's.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Kurt's eyes gained a mischievous glint to them. "You know it's really not fair to keep me waiting."

"Sorry about that," Blaine swallowed hard to keep his nerves down; he'd never seen Kurt like this before, but he was pretty sure he could get used to it. "I'll try not to keep you waiting next time."

"You bet you won't," Kurt grinned before turning away and yawning. He was blushing bright red when he turned back to Blaine, embarrassed by ruining the moment with his weariness. Turning to snuggle into Blaine's chest again, he hid his face in his hands.

"_That_, was adorable!" Blaine teased, wrapping his arms around the chestnut-haired man and hugging him tightly.

"No," Kurt mumbled into his hands. "That was _embarrassing_." Blaine tried to supress his laughing as he kissed the top of Kurt's hair, glancing up at the clock when he sat back up.

"It's getting late," Blaine said quietly but made no effort to move from where he sat. "We should go to bed."

"_We_?" Kurt suddenly sat up, his eyebrows almost touching his hairline as he stared at Blaine with a shocked expression.

"Well… y'know, you go to your- and I-I go to my-" Blaine stuttered, his whole face and neck burning a deep shade of pink. "Separately."

"Blaine, I was _kidding_!" Kurt playfully rolled his eyes and grinned, lying his head back down on Blaine's chest and snuggling into him. He yawned for the second time, his eyes threatening to close any second. "I wanna stay here." He muttered stubbornly, reminding Blaine of a small child who was determined to stay up past their bedtime.

"Come on, you're tired," Blaine shifted, getting Kurt to sit up. "We can talk more in the morning." Kurt went to protest but resigned to nodding sleepily when he realised Blaine was right. The shorter man stood and in a blur he was carrying Kurt to his bedroom, one arm under his knees and the other around his back.

Blaine pushed open the door and carried Kurt over to his bed, admiring how neat and organised Kurt's room was compared to his own. He pulled the covers back and laid Kurt down, smiling when he realised that the other boy was already asleep in his arms.

"Goodnight, Beautiful." Blaine pressed a light kiss to Kurt's forehead as he pulled the covers back up over his sleeping form. "I love you." He whispered before turning to leave.

"Blaine?" Kurt's raspy voice caused Blaine to stop in the doorway as he attempted to tiptoe out of the room. Blaine turned to see Kurt peering up at him, leaning on his elbow to support himself.

"Yeah?" Kurt shyly looked down at his bed, fiddling with the sleeves of his pyjamas and flushing a slight tint of crimson, thankful that Blaine couldn't see it in the dark. "What is it?" Blaine took a few more steps back into the room.

"S-stay with me?"

Blaine hesitated for a moment before nodding, quickly adding "Sure" when he realised Kurt might not have been able to see his agreement in the dark. Upon realising he was still in his day clothes – and remembering the fact that he didn't exactly wear _anything_ to bed – Blaine found himself fumbling awkwardly with the buttons on his cardigan and the zipper on his pants. He decided that sleeping in his vest and boxers would be acceptable for tonight, but tomorrow he would definitely make sure he had a pair of sweats or pyjamas on hand should he end up staying with Kurt again to avoid any embarrassing situations that might arise.

Down to his vest and boxers and feeling ultimately the most nervous he had ever been in his life, Blaine slid into bed next to Kurt, remembering to tug his socks off first.

"Hi," Kurt whispered breathlessly when Blaine laid his head down on the pillow next to him.

"Hi yourself," Blaine whispered back, not sure if he should be holding Kurt or keeping his distance. But Kurt didn't seem to have such worries; he shifted forward and nestled into Blaine's chest, wrapping an arm around Blaine's waist as he sighed peacefully, soon drifting off into sleep.

Blaine watched him with a slight interest and burning adoration, listening to Kurt's level breathing and admiring his dreamy expression as he slept in his arms, anxiously keeping their hips apart.

* * *

Kurt woke up easily the next morning, slipping into consciousness in a tranquil state. He stretched fully, pushing his hands against the headboard and pointing his toes until he felt them peek out the edge of the comforter. Satisfied, he turned onto his side expecting to see the dark, curly mop of hair that he had gone to bed cuddled into the night before, only to be met by an empty bed. He sat up quickly, alert and panicked that the night before had all been a dream as he looked around his room frantically.

When he spotted a pile of neatly folded clothes on the armchair in the corner of the room his heart instantly began to slow down, recognizing the colours to be the outfit Blaine had been wearing the night before.

"I didn't want to leave them on the floor," Kurt started when a voice came from the doorway, turning to see Blaine stood with two mugs of coffee in his hands, his gaze following Kurt's to the folded apparel he had been staring at. "So when I got up this morning I decided to fold them. I hope you don't mind. Here." He handed a mug over to Kurt, who shuffled back into a more comfortable seating position against the headboard before accepting it with a smile.

"Why would I mind?" He queried as Blaine slid back under the sheets next to him, keeping his mug level so as not to spill any coffee on Kurt's bed sheets. "I'm actually quite impressed you folded your clothes." He commented with a grin as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Not that!" Blaine laughed, rolling his eyes playfully as he shuffled close enough for their shoulders to touch. "I hope you don't mind that I didn't wake you when I got up; I wasn't sure if you would be a morning person without a coffee first!" Kurt was pleasantly surprised to hear Blaine begin to giggle, but couldn't help the deep blush that spread across his cheeks. "I'm sorry, babe," Blaine chuckled, wrapping an arm around Kurt's shoulders and pulling him close, pressing a light kiss to his cheek. "I'm just joking." Blaine pressed another kiss to Kurt's cheek, this one lasting longer than the first.

"You're right though," Kurt grinned, leaning into Blaine's embrace. "I'm a sleeping man walking without my coffee."

* * *

Blaine started awake some time later, his arms around Kurt's shoulders as the taller boy leant into his chest, still sleeping happily. Blaine wasn't sure what had woken him, but he suddenly realised that he must have been asleep for more than just a few minutes. His and Kurt's mugs, which they had drained and placed on the bedside table, were cold to the touch when Blaine moved them to reveal the clock.

"_Shit!_" He hissed. Kurt stirred beneath him, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he slowly became conscious again.

"What's wrong?" he asked Blaine, his glasz eyes searching Blaine's face only to recognize a look of panic etched into his features. Blaine looked down at him and hastily pressed a kiss to his cheek, however in his rush he ended up kissing the skin next to Kurt's eye. He jumped out of bed, causing Kurt to fall across the pillows, and ran to the pile of his clothes in the corner. "Blaine, what are you- Oh, _fuck!_" Kurt glanced around to the clock as he spoke, realising just how late they'd overslept.

It was quarter to eleven already, and Rachel and Finn were due over for lunch at eleven, meaning that Kurt and Blaine had five minutes until Rachel began pounding on their door.

"Open up, you boys!"

Kurt and Blaine froze as a distant banging echoed its way through the apartment and into Kurt's room, Rachel's distinct voice joining it.

Now Blaine knew what had woken him up.

"Oh, _shit!_" Kurt hissed, flying across the room towards his wardrobe and yanking the doors open. Blaine was currently flailing on the bed trying to pull his jeans on – they seemed so much harder to get on now that he was in a rush.

"Booooys!" Rachel called again before subjecting the door to another round of beating. "Oh, it's okay – I still have my key!" Kurt and Blaine stared at each other, their feet frozen to the floor as they listened to the familiar scraping of a key turning in the lock.

Blaine, who was now fully clothed apart from his cardigan, ran out of the room and down the corridor into the kitchen, leaving Kurt stood staring into his closet with his blood running cold with nerves. Kurt could hear Blaine happily greeting their friends as if nothing was wrong, and was thankful that he was in love with a man who was such a brilliant actor.

"Rach!" Blaine exclaimed as he came into the kitchen, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He stepped forward and enveloped her in a hug, silencing her complaints about not being let in sooner before stepping back to admire her outfit, distracting her entirely. "Finn," Blaine nodded once, holding his hand out for the taller man to shake.

"So, why did I have to let myself in?" Rachel questioned, her voice high and airy as she attempted to keep things casual. "Were you two fooling around and lost track of time?" She smirked, winking cheekily as she pulled her coat off and made herself comfortable at the table. Blaine flushed bright red and shuffled awkwardly, but luckily Rachel took it as his discomfort at her crossing a line rather than her nearly guessing the truth.

"Where is Kurt?" Finn asked, clearing his throat and looking around the room before settling down next to Rachel.

"Um, in his room," Blaine gestured over his shoulder. "Still… choosing something to wear, I think."

"Still?" Rachel scoffed. "I know Kurt's picky about what he wears, but this is only Sunday lunch! We're eating here, for goodness' sake!" She rose from the table and made to go to Kurt's room, but Blaine stepped in her way.

"Actually, Kurt and I thought it might be nice if we went out for lunch," He improvised. "Saves us the hassle of having to cook, what with Kurt having had a bit of a rough day yesterday." He whispered in explanation, and Rachel's confused expression immediately brightened.

"Oh, okay, yeah," She muttered, nodding to herself. "That makes sense. I'll just go see how he is-"

"No!" Blaine interjected again, a little louder than any of them expected. "I-I'll go," He reasoned, composing himself and smiling again. "You know what he's like when he's trying to choose an outfit! He gets so stressy!" Rachel laughed along with him, turning back to the table to sit next to Finn.

Blaine dashed down the hall and flew into Kurt's room, surprising the chestnut-haired man and nearly knocking him flying.

"Blaine! What the hell?" Kurt screamed as he straightened his clothes out.

"I told Rachel – we're going out – for lunch." Blaine panted, steadying himself by placing a hand on Kurt's shoulder.

"What? Why?"

"Because it's easier – than explaining – that we overslept." Kurt laughed then, taking Blaine's hand in his.

"Okay, that's true." He chuckled. "So do I look okay?" Blaine stood back to look at Kurt properly, taking in his outfit; he wore white skinny jeans that were deliciously tight, a black button-down shirt tucked into them, with a white waistcoat over the top.

"P-perfect." Blaine breathed, unable to pull his eyes away from Kurt's outfit.

"Good," Kurt beamed. "You, on the other hand, are _not_ going out wearing the same clothes you did yesterday." He scolded light-heartedly, freeing his hand from Blaine's and turning the shorter boy to push him towards his own room. "Now go change; I'll go and see Rachel and Finn."

"Okay," Blaine allowed himself to be pushed out of the room by the man he loved, grinning stupidly. "Oh," He turned back as a thought struck him just as Kurt started down the hall. "Just a heads up; I told Rachel that we're going out because you're still a little… upset over the whole Thad thing. So just be prepared for her being all over-protective." Blaine winked as he opened the door to his room.

Kurt grinned and pushed down the butterflies in his stomach as he made his way to the kitchen, only to be tackled by a certain Miss Berry.

* * *

Lunch went well; Kurt and Blaine kept themselves to themselves, resisting the urge to cuddle into each other and hold hands at the table, despite Blaine sneakily squeezing Kurt's hand – and on one occasion, his knee – under the table from time to time.

The quartet made their way back to the apartment at around one o'clock, Finn and Blaine going straight to the living room to watch a football game on TV whilst Kurt and Rachel hung back in the kitchen so that Rachel could gush about wedding details.

When half past four began to approach, the group were all chatting happily in the living room over coffee. Conversation drifted from Rachel and Finn's wedding to the stag and hen parties – when Rachel set a strict rule that Finn was to have _no strippers_ and they decided that Kurt would go with Rachel and Blaine would go with Finn – to Kurt and Rachel's work and finally to Blaine's work.

"Oh crap!" Blaine laughed, draining his cup and jumping up from the sofa where he was sat next to Finn. "I've gotta head off," He explained, taking in the startled expressions of Rachel, Kurt and Finn around him and glancing down at his watch.

"Blaine, the show doesn't start until six," Kurt almost pleaded, his wide eyes silently asking Blaine to stay just a little longer. "You don't need to go yet."

"Yeah, I know but I want to see if I can talk to Thad again today," Blaine reasoned, not mentioning exactly _why_ in front of Finn and Rachel. "But I'll see you later, yeah?" Without thinking about it, Blaine bent down and placed a kiss to Kurt's forehead before mumbling "See you later" into his hair, the paler boy blushing slightly at the affection. When they pulled apart, Rachel and Finn were staring dumbly at them, jaws nearly hitting the floor and eyebrows buried well above their hairlines, but the two boys didn't notice. Blaine walked out the room, going to his bedroom quickly to grab his bag before heading out the door, calling back over his shoulder that he'd see them all later.

"So," Kurt leant forward and picked up a bridal magazine Rachel had demanded they picked up on their way home. "Rach, which dress did you say you liked?" He idly flicked through the pages, scanning the images and articles as he did so.

After a few minutes, Kurt finally realised in his dream-like state that the room was silent, and looked up to see Rachel and Finn staring at him, mouths gaping.

"What?" He asked innocently, the kiss Blaine had given him not coming to mind.

"Would you care to explain what just happened?" Rachel retorted, a little snappier than usual.

"What…?"

"That kiss, Kurt!" Finn pointed out of the door as if he were pointing at Blaine five minutes ago when he'd kissed Kurt.

Kurt's eyes widened when he realised that he and Blaine had agreed to keep their relationship from Rachel and Finn, choosing to decide where they were first before announcing it to friends and family. Kurt felt his stomach drop with nerves, his whole body going numb as he glanced from Finn to Rachel and back again, trying to get his mouth to work. But his throat was dry and his tongue felt too big for his mouth, leaving him only able to stutter.

"Oh," He finally managed. "_That_."

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**Hope you guys liked it :)**

**Just a note to tell you guys that for the next two Tuesdays I will be uploading for my friend RainySunnyEnding as she'll be on her hols, so if you haven't checked out her story Tears & Cookies yet go read it now - it's fab! If you already _do_ read her work, you're awesome! X**

**But I'll still be uploading myself, don't worry - I'm on strict instructions that there should be 4 installments of Something's Coming for her to read when she gets back ^^**

**Also, any ideas for a chapter title, guys? X**

**C xx**


	24. An Explanation

**Guys, I am so sorry that this is late. And also pathetically short. But I have been seriously stressed out today and so this chapter just wouldn't write. It's all Kurt - well, Kurt, Rachel and Finn - but there's no Blaine in it. I am seriously sorry that this chapter is _much_ shorter than the others, and I am actually disappointed in myself. I hope you guys will forgive me and I'll try and make it up to you with the next chapter on Thursday. I'll explain at the bottom why I was so stressed today.**

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_Kurt felt his stomach drop with nerves, his whole body going numb as he glanced from Finn to Rachel and back again, trying to get his mouth to work. But his throat was dry and his tongue felt too big for his mouth, leaving him only able to stutter._

"_Oh," He finally managed. "_That_."_

"Yes, _that_." Rachel glared at him, frozen in her seat for a few seconds before she began to gesture wildly with her arms. "What the hell, Kurt?" She near-screamed, making both Kurt and Finn flinch away from her. "You told me _nothing_ was going on between you and Blaine because you were sorting out the whole Thad thing!"

"I already told you earlier that I ended things with Thad!" Kurt snapped back, recalling how he and Rachel had spoken in the kitchen whilst Finn and Blaine had watched football.

"But you didn't tell me you were with _Blaine_ now!" She gestured towards the door as if Blaine was stood there. Kurt stood up from the sofa so that he was taller than her, but closer to being eye-to-eye with her than when he had been sitting down.

"That's because I'm not _with_ him!" He retorted, folding his arms across his chest and scowling at her to hide the disappointment he truly felt. Blaine was caring enough to allow Kurt the time and space he needed to get over the Thad situation, but now that they had spent a completely innocent night together Kurt _knew_ that he didn't need any more time or space; he needed Blaine.

"What do you mean?" She blinked at him dumbfounded.

"Yeah, dude, we both saw that kiss," Finn was standing now, moving next to his fiancé. "How can you _not_ be together? Is Blaine just like, super affectionate or something?" Kurt chuckled despite himself, whilst Rachel just looked annoyed that her fiancé was getting involved; she loved him, but sometimes he asked really stupid questions.

"Don't be silly, Finn! Of course they're together," She turned on Kurt. "They're just lying about it!"

"No, Rachel, we're not," Kurt had calmed himself down considerably, but it was still an effort to keep his voice down when Rachel was making such silly accusations. "And Finn is kind of right." Rachel looked between her best friend and her fiancé too shocked to say anything, and Finn looked just as surprised. "Blaine is actually very considerate and caring and _that's_ why we're not together… yet."

"I- I don't understand," Rachel frowned at him. "What's going on?"

"Look, after I ended things with Thad, Blaine came home and we… we talked. Turns out that since we met each other again we've both been having these… feelings for each other," Kurt sank down into the sofa, caught up in the memory of the previous afternoon as Rachel and Finn watched him with soft expressions.

"We know," Finn mumbled before Rachel could nudge him to be quiet. Kurt looked up at him confused.

"What do you mean, _you know_?"

Finn looked at Rachel, unsure of whether he was allowed to continue or not, but she just sighed and let herself fall back onto the sofa. "Well," Finn started, nervously glancing between Kurt and Rachel. "When you guys moved in, I spoke to Blaine about it, and he said that he liked you too but didn't want to cross a line." Finn looked to the floor, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So, you knew this… And you didn't tell me?" Finn wasn't sure what was worse; that Kurt spoke quietly or that he sounded upset rather than angry.

"It wasn't my place to tell." Kurt nodded weakly but didn't look up at Finn. Instead, he looked to Rachel.

"Did you know?" Rachel stared back at him, opening her mouth several times to say something but no words actually left her mouth. The blush that spread across her face, however, was enough to tell Kurt that _yes_, she had known. Finn cautiously sat down, watching Kurt's indifferent expression and waiting for him to boil over. "Well, I guess there's no point getting worked up over that now," He sighed softly, staring at the floor before shaking himself out of an apparent daydream. Finn and Rachel shared a shocked glance at each other before turning back to Kurt as he continued to speak. "We've already confessed to each other anyway." He shrugged nonchalantly and smiled; it was weak, yet still slightly dreamy as he processed that his two best friends from high school had known about him and Blaine before the two men even did themselves.

"W-when?" Rachel asked hesitantly, curious to hear the answer yet relieved that Kurt hadn't unleashed his infamous diva temper on her and her fiancé.

"Last night," Kurt suddenly smiled, the memories of it flooding back to him once more. "After he came home from work," Rachel inwardly squealed in delight when Kurt said '_came home_' – he was already acting like one half of a couple. "We talked about what happened with Thad and it just… happened. I told him I was in love with him and he said it right back."

"Well then why aren't you two together?" Finn sat with his elbows rested on his knees, leaning forward to listen to Kurt. Kurt looked up at him, a little dazed, but smiled softly.

"Because Blaine cares too much," Kurt chuckled slightly to himself. "I told him I might need some time to get over what happened with Thad so that I could focus on _us_," An explosion of butterflies burst in his stomach. "And he just… _accepted _that." Kurt seemed thoughtful for a second, before looking up and grinning. "If anything I think it made me love him even more."

"Aww, my little Kurtsy is in love!" Rachel cooed as she leant forward and pulled Kurt close to her, hugging him tightly against her chest.

"I'm pretty sure you already knew that, Rach!" He laughed into her shoulder, hugging her back as he beamed brightly over her shoulder.

"I know," She grinned, not letting go. "But it's just you've been pining over Blaine for weeks now-"

"I was _not_ pining after him." Kurt interjected with a slight annoyance to his voice, but Rachel continued anyway.

"And now you two are basically together!" She held him at arm's length, suddenly frowning. "So, how long is it going to take you to get over what happened with Thad?" Kurt laughed.

"That's the thing," He bit his lip as he allowed a deep blush to creep across his face, smiling shyly as he looked between his friends. He had realised when he had woken up to an empty bed that morning, dismayed that Blaine hadn't still been lying next to him – awake or still asleep he wouldn't have cared – that he couldn't hold back his feelings any longer; he'd been doing it for weeks now, and he had even tried to focus on another man to distract himself, but it to no avail. Kurt knew that he had only been holding back because he deemed it appropriate to do so considering how strongly Thad had obviously felt for him, but Kurt also knew that sometimes doing what was best for one person wasn't always best for everyone else.

"I already am."

* * *

**Again, I'm sorry for this dreadful excuse of a chapter! But I had a job interview on Friday, and they promised me that I would hear back from them either Friday night or today, and it ended up being today. I did get the job, but they made me wait until five o'clock this evening until they called me. So, I was absolutely stressed all day, I barely ate anything I was so nervous! I also couldn't write, and I was shocked to discover that even after I already knew I had the job my writer's block didn't clear, which explains the horrible mess you all just read. **

**Forgive me? :)**

**C xx**

**P.s - Any ideas for a chapter title for chapter 23? Xx**


	25. The Understudy

**Okay so this is Blaine's side of what happened, but it went on a little longer and there is more to explain (kind of) so Blaine's side is already spanning over two chapters, may go to a third. Sorry it's late - I've been pretty busy today and so it completely slipped my mind! :s Hope you enjoy it anyway! C xx**

* * *

_S__hit, shit, shit, shit, shit,_ Blaine cursed himself all the way down the steps until he got outside, leaning his back against the wall and breathing in the cold crisp air to try and calm the emotional tempest swirling around in his chest. On the one hand, he was thrilled- no, _elated _– he had been able to kiss Kurt freely now after weeks of longing, not having to fear being rejected by the other man since they had exchanged their love for each other, but on the other hand Blaine was tormenting himself, disgusted that he had not been able to control himself around Kurt's closest friends – who they had agreed to keep their relationship from until they were _both_ ready to take that step.

However, Kurt hadn't exactly pulled away, nor had he reprimanded him afterwards about the gesture. Rachel and Finn hadn't reacted either, or they had and Blaine just hadn't been paying attention. Blaine was tempted to run back upstairs, or – if it was possible – he would rather run back in time and stop himself from doing it, but he decided that Kurt would most likely do most of the talking anyway, and it may be best if he let the three friends talk by themselves.

He had to get to work, anyway.

Blaine decided to hail a taxi rather than walk. He normally would have relished the twenty minutes between his apartment and the theatre, allowing his mind to relax and get into the headset of the lead male after coming down from the seemingly constant high he had when he was around Kurt, but right now he just needed to get to work quickly. His heart was still pummelling his ribcage at the memory of what had happened not five minutes before, and the adrenaline that was currently pumping through his veins at the thought of seeing Thad again – and having to explain the situation to his best friend. And so, sitting in the back of a cab for five minutes on a Sunday afternoon, Blaine actually allowed himself to _think_ rather than daydream, focusing mainly on just _what_ he was going to do when he got to work.

But the Palace Theatre rolled into view all too soon, and before Blaine could get any further than, '_Look, Thad, I think I should explain…_' he was climbing out onto the pavement and paying the taxi driver on autopilot.

He stared up at the theatre's front, gazing at his name written in giant red letters above the door before glancing down at Thad's in smaller letters underneath. They had been friends since Blaine had moved to New York at nine years old, although back then they only stuck by each other because they were both new kids at school. Thad came a few weeks after Blaine did, and although he still had some heat on him from the older kids, a lot of it shifted onto Thad and Blaine couldn't stand by and watch. Thad was shy – a lot shyer than Blaine had been – and so Blaine took on the role of his protector when no-one else would.

Their friendship had blossomed over the years, and they helped each other through the tumultuous environment of schools across the state. They went to Dalton together, and it was there that Blaine first showed his vulnerability to his friend; an event that brought them ever closer. When Blaine first started to develop feelings for the then-Junior Sebastian Smythe, he turned to his dorm roommate, Thad. The boy had comforted him and guided him through the difficult time in his life, having come out himself just over a year before. It was Thad who helped Blaine to realise who he was, and it was Thad who opened his arms to comfort Blaine when the smaller boy's parents had rejected him.

Blaine caught himself before his bottom lip started to tremble, blinking back the tears stinging the corners of his eyes as he realised how stupid he'd been; he knew Thad well enough to know that if he had spoken to him first, he would have stepped to the side and let Blaine confess his feelings. But Blaine had been selfish – one of the very few occasions in his life when he would allow himself to be – and, even though he had held back, he had gone after Kurt for himself.

And now his best friend probably loathed him, and blamed him for his recent heartbreak. Blaine would never forgive himself for the way he went about things, but he could just _hope_ that their sixteen years of friendship would be enough to _at least_ get Thad to hear him out, even if he wouldn't forgive him. Stepping into the foyer, Blaine roughly wiped his eyes and headed straight for the door to backstage, hoping that – by arriving nearly an hour early – he could catch Thad and try to explain.

As soon as he passed the threshold into backstage, Blaine was bombarded by a faction of voices down at the end of the hall. Startled, Blaine jolted his gaze upwards to see no more than eight pairs of eyes staring at him, the bodies they belonged to all thundering down the corridor towards him. Panicked, Blaine thought about turning and running back out into the foyer, but the message had barely reached his feet by the time the group descended on him.

"Blaine, what happened?"

"What went on yesterday?"

"Enough about him – Hobbit, are _you_ okay?"

"Where's Thad? What happened to him?"

"Where's the other unicorn?"

"BB, are you alright? You don't look so good…"

Blaine looked around him at all of the faces jostling to get into his line of vision and grab his attention and suddenly felt a wave of nausea wash over his entire body; everyone had found out about yesterday and _everyone_ now wanted to know the truth.

And they were all trying to get it from him at once.

"Just- STOP!" Blaine hadn't realised how loud he was going to be, and he didn't even realise he had screwed his eyes shut tight as he held his hands aloft to silence the mob until a voice next to his ear made him open them again.

"Blaine? Blaine, are you okay?" It took Blaine a few seconds to recognize the voice, and then a further few to actually believe it. It was Santana, of all people, who was gently placing a hand on his shoulder and lowering his hands.

"Yeah, yeah I just-" Blaine managed to mumble in reply before turning into her shoulder and allowing a small sob to escape. The crowd next to them was immediately silenced by Blaine's outburst, but now that silence started to turn uncomfortable as each of them realised that Thad wasn't the only one who had been affected by the events of the previous night – whatever they had been.

Blaine had, too.

"It's okay, Blaine," Santana soothed in his ear, wrapping him up in a rare yet gentle embrace and rubbing his back softly. "Just… relax, okay? We can go and talk in my room, away from these _assholes_, and we'll have you good as new by curtain call, okay?"

Blaine sniffed and nodded, keeping his gaze to the floor as she led him towards her room, the remaining seven people parting to let them through. There were small mumbles of "I'm sorry, Blaine", but Blaine merely nodded weakly as he allowed himself to be looked after for once.

The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur; Blaine and Santana had barely settled onto the sofa before Brittany had come floundering in, snuggling in between the two of them and practically pulling Blaine onto her lap. No more than five minutes later Sugar, Mercedes, Quinn and Sunshine had knocked on the door, their faces etched with concern and worry for their leading man. After a brief round of Spanish insults from Santana, the girls were allowed in and made themselves comfortable on the floor or on the sofa around Blaine, determined to console him. Blaine started the story from the start, going over his fleeting childhood friendship with Kurt before being reunited by chance sixteen years later. He had barely gotten up to the day he left before the boys burst in with no welcome – Santana now too concerned about Blaine to care anymore – after Blaine had decided to divulge in some of the childhood memories he had with Kurt whilst with the girls.

The three boys who entered made up the original eight who had bombarded him in the hall; Wes, Richard –a tall, light brown-haired guy who played Chino, Bernardo's friend – and a third whom Blaine didn't recognize.

"W-who are you?" He regarded the boy – who looked to have been no older than 21 – with caution; he didn't want strangers listening in and telling him what to do with his life. The boy blushed and flailed slightly as he introduced himself,

"Nick," He extended a hand to Blaine before taking in his guarded expression and withdrawing it. "I-I'm Thad Harwood's understudy."


	26. Phone Calls

**Aaahh thisissomuchlaterthanIplanned aaahhh! This chapter just seemed to take ages to write, and to be honest not much happens in it, but a chapter is a chapter and it shall be uploaded! :D No matter what I think of it... My beta (I only have one at the moment, *sniffle* ) assured me that I was mistaken and this chapter is in fact "very good", so I'll have to take her word for it and hope you guys agree!**

**Enjoy :) C xx**

* * *

"Understudy?"

Blaine spluttered slightly before he felt as if he was going to hyperventilate, processing the fact that – after last night – his best friend was _definitely _not coming in to work today, which meant that Blaine couldn't explain and therefore made everything worse. Nick frowned at Blaine's reaction.

"Um, yes? I-I've been doing some work off-Broadway for the past few months-" He started, but Blaine wasn't really listening to him anymore. He was staring at each person in the room around him in turn, silently asking for an explanation, but they all turned their gaze away from him.

"Where's Thad?" Blaine asked suddenly, his voice thick with worry and concern and tears that threatened to fall any second. Nick stopped talking and looked about the room awkwardly, keeping his eyes low. Wes and Richard looked to the floor, thrusting their hands in the pockets. Sugar, Quinn and Mercedes, who were all sat on the floor, turned their attention to the carpet they were sat on, pulling on loose threads to distract themselves from answering. Brittany bit her lip nervously and glanced to Santana, who rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.

"He called in earlier," She explained, smiling sadly at Blaine. "He told Sue that he had a 'family issue' or some shit like that, so he won't be in tonight." She glanced over at Nick, looking him up and down quickly before looking back to Blaine. "We're not meant to expect him in tomorrow either."

"Oh, San," Blaine whimpered, burying his head in his hands. "What have I done? He's never going to talk to me again, is he?" Santana stood and ushered Brittany to swap seat with her. Brittany shuffled down the sofa so that Santana could sit next to Blaine. She hugged his shoulders and let him cry softly, understanding how important Blaine and Thad's friendship was to the man in her arms.

"Okay, everybody move out," Santana glared at everyone else in the room, all of them knowing that Santana didn't like to have to give the same order twice. They all scurried out – all apart from Brittany, who moved to sit in front of Blaine on the floor – with Richard and Wes pushing a confused Nick out of the door as Sunshine, Quinn, Sugar and Mercedes murmured between themselves, shooting concerned glances at Blaine as they left.

When the door was finally shut, Santana turned to Blaine with her arms folded across her chest. "Okay, Hobbit; explain to me why you're suddenly crying your eyes out over Thad when I thought you were in love with Kurt? Shouldn't you be prancing around throwing up rainbows right now?"

Blaine could feel the guilt swelling up inside his stomach; yes, he _was_ in love with Kurt – irrevocably so – but he had known Thad for so long that he couldn't just let this slide. He had to explain himself, and whilst Kurt understood that, it made Blaine feel even worse about the situation he had landed himself in; he had fallen in love with Kurt, but upon his feelings being reciprocated he had landed himself in between the man he loved and his best friend, who _also_ loved Kurt. Sighing heavily, he sunk his head into his hands.

"I know, I know," He groaned, feeling a slight comfort when Brittany rested her chin on his knee, smiling up at him sadly. "I love Kurt – I seriously fucking _love him_ so much – but Thad is my _best friend_," He felt Santana sit down next to him and looked up at her through his fingers. "_Why_ does it have to be so complicated?"

"Look, Blaine, I don't know what to say; you said yourself that you love Kurt and you deserve to have that with someone. After what happened with that chipmunk ex-boyfriend of yours – I _still_ have _no_ idea what you saw in him – you have every right to be in love again. Surely Thad can see that?"

"But I didn't talk to him about it first."

"So?"

"San, Thad and I have been friends since we were nine years old. We've helped each other through a lot in that time and we _always_ talk to each other about things."

"No you don't." Both Blaine and Santana turned to look at Brittany, who had been silent up until now. She was gazing at the floor, but soon turned her head to look up at the two pairs of brown eyes looking down at her.

"What?" Brittany gazed at Blaine when the word only just came out in a whisper.

"Thad never talked to _you_ about dating Kurt, did he?" She arched an eyebrow, shrugging her shoulders as if it was deadly obvious and Blaine was being stupid not to see it. "Not until after they were _already_ seeing each other."

"Well, that's different," Blaine reasoned. "They weren't _dating_, they just went on dates." He glanced between the Latina and the blonde, hopeful that they would see the same. "It is different, right?"

Santana frowned at him. "I don't think it is," She looked to Brittany, who shook her head at Blaine and therefore agreeing with her girlfriend. "He _still_ didn't ask you first if it was okay – you and Kurt being such good friends and all." Blaine rested his chin atop of his fists, his elbows resting on his knees, and stared at the wall opposite him as he allowed this new realisation to settle into his mind.

Santana and Brittany were right; Thad _hadn't_ spoken to Blaine first about asking Kurt out – maybe because he thought that, as they would only be having coffee together, it would probably be harmless anyway – but had done it in front of him, asking Kurt out for coffee during the 'tour' Blaine had been giving him that day. This being the first time that he'd properly thought about it, Blaine began to feel a small well of anger open up deep inside him at the realisation.

Not that Blaine could get _too_ angry – he'd had plenty of opportunities to tell Kurt how he felt, especially after they'd moved in together.

But this was all in the past, now; Blaine needed to focus on the situation at hand – he needed to somehow talk to Thad.

"I'm- I'm going to go to my dressing room," Blaine suddenly stood, grabbing his bag as he went, taking both Santana and Brittany by surprise and causing Brittany to fall forwards slightly. She put her hands out to stop herself from falling flat out on the carpet, as most of her weight had been supported by Blaine's leg as she leant on him. "Thank you, girls."

Santana picked her girlfriend up off the floor, brushing her down slightly and making sure she was okay before she turned to Blaine, calling out just as he stepped out the room. "For what?"

Blaine turned back to her and smiled, his eyes showing much more gratitude than he could express through words. "For listening, and helping me realise what I should do." Santana and Brittany exchanged glances, silently asking the other if they understood what their curly-haired friend was talking about, before turning back to see said friend closing the door behind him as he left.

Quickly diving into his dressing room to avoid being spotted by his cast mates, Blaine pulled out his phone as soon as the door was closed. He leant against the wood, fundamentally barricading himself in his room to avoid anyone pouncing on him. Scrolling through his contacts he finally found the number he was looking for, but his thumb hesitated over the call button. Biting his lip, Blaine glanced up at the small collection of pictures he had by his dressing table, and – forgetting about the fact that he hadn't locked his door properly – he moved over to them and gazed amongst the smiling faces.

His eyes instantly fell on the picture of him and Kurt that Rachel had taken when the two boys had moved in together, both of the grinning outside the apartment with their arms around each other's shoulders. Every time Blaine saw it, it made him smile; it reminded him so much of the picture of him and his childhood friend from his ninth birthday, their smiles just as wide but without the embarrassing cake crumbs and icing all over their faces. Blaine glanced to the left and saw that very picture, cringing inwardly but allowing his smile to widen at the sight of one of his favourite ever photos. His gaze drifted over a few other pictures; ones of him and his other cast mates – namely one of himself, Santana, Brittany and a very good-looking, very toned young man, taken on the night that Santana dragged him to a strip club upon finding out he was gay – as well as ones of him and his family – well, mainly him and his brother, Cooper, but there were some of him and his parents from his younger years, before he came out to them.

His eyes landed on another picture that made him stop; it was him and Thad, taken on Thad's 21st birthday four years ago. They and a group of their other friends – some from Dalton, some not – had gone from club to club around New York, the drinks getting stronger as the night went on. This was one of the only pictures taken where the men were actually composed, able to smile properly at the camera with their eyes _open_ – basically, one where they were all sober.

Blaine remembered the heavy weight in his hand, and glanced down to stare at his phone. The contact he had searched for earlier was still highlighted, and Blaine – not knowing whether his call would be answered – apprehensively pressed call, bringing the phone up to his ear.

* * *

Kurt snuggled down onto the sofa, a blanket wrapped his pyjama-clad body as the television opposite him filled with images of Austrian hills, the beginnings of one of the best musicals of all time making Kurt giggle happily to himself and nestle down even more. He was beaming by the time Julie Andrews appeared on a hill-top, spinning around as she sang her heart out to the skies above.

_The hills are alive  
with the sound of music  
with songs they have sung  
For a thousand years_

_The hills fill my heart_  
_With the sound of music_  
_My heart wants to sing ev'ry song it hears_

Kurt had said goodbye to Finn and Rachel twenty minutes ago, running to his room and changing hastily as soon as the door was shut. A glass of red wine sat on the coffee table, the bottle left next to it, and Kurt reached forward to take a sip. He didn't often kick back and relax anymore, and even though he had his evenings alone due to Blaine working at the theatre, Kurt often spent his nights going over lesson plans, marking term papers or hanging out with Rachel and Finn, sometimes even Rory or Tina, making nights like this – where he had _no work to do whatsoever_ – all the more significant.

Of course, Kurt would find these evenings even more idyllic if he could have been cuddling into a certain dark-haired, slightly shorter man rather than the sofa cushions, but there was nothing he could really do about that.

Smirking as Maria ran back into the convent, Kurt allowed his mind to wander – he knew this film so well already that really he only paid attention to songs, the film just being something additional to watch in between – and suddenly recalled how he hadn't actually gone out with Mercedes yet – Kurt didn't count when they had had coffee together the week before, mainly because they ran into each other and the meeting wasn't actually arranged. They had been texting over the past few weeks, even managing to phone each other a few times, but they hadn't actually gone on a night out together like Kurt wanted to. He wondered if she was working tonight – she'd already told him that her shifts could change weekly, sometimes even daily – depending on how many people were available to man the foyer… and on what mood Sue was in. Kurt leant forward and picked up his phone which had been lying next to the DVD remote on the coffee table, suddenly smitten with the idea of inviting her out.

After a few rings, she picked up.

"_Hello?_"

"Hey, 'Cedes," Kurt greeted her merrily. "It's Kurt."

"_Oh, hey Boo!_" Kurt grinned at how quickly they had assigned each other nicknames. "_How are you, honey_?"

"I'm great, thanks! How are you?"

"_I'm good, I'm good,_" Kurt could tell over the phone that there was a slight smugness in her voice. "_So, what's up?_"

Kurt opened his mouth to ask her if she wanted to go out tonight, before glancing down and remembering that he was sat in his pyjamas. He stalled slightly, trying to think of another conversation starter. "Uhh…" He screwed his eyes shut, racking his brains for something relevant and sane that he could pass off as an excuse to be ringing Mercedes.

His eyes snapped open and he beamed to himself, silently punching the air in triumph. "I just remembered that you never told me how your _hot date_ with Sam went the other night." When Kurt heard her snort back her laughter he sighed in relief, glad that he hadn't just made a complete and utter fool of himself. Sam was the guy Mercedes had been seeing for a while, now – Sam was the date Mercedes had mentioned all those weeks ago when she had taken Kurt to Blaine's dressing room for his 'private tour', the one that Kurt had heard all about after their first date – and it seemed that their relationship was starting to become slightly more serious.

Obviously, Kurt had heard all about Sam; he knew he was blond, had 'dazzling' green eyes and was of athletic build – Mercedes had casually dropped into conversation that he was an Olympic swimmer. Kurt knew that Sam was a little bit geeky, but Blaine had that too, and it was a quality both Kurt and Mercedes adored in the men in their lives. Kurt had yet to meet him, and hoped that – whenever he ended up going out with Mercedes – she would offer to bring him along and introduce them.

"_Oh, Kurt, it was _fantastic_!_" She crowed, Kurt jerking the phone away from his ear to save himself from being deafened. "_No, that doesn't even _begin_ to cover it! Oh, Kurt where do I begin?_" She didn't give him time to answer. "_Well, first of all he took me to this really fancy – _expensive –_ restaurant, _way_ more impressive than Breadstix…_"

Kurt smiled to himself and leant back against the sofa, allowing his friend to gush over all of the details of the evening… and just how _fantastic_ Sam Evans was.

* * *

"_Hello_?"

"Why aren't you at work?"

"_B-Blaine-?_"

"Answer my question, dammit!" Blaine clutched at his hair, using the pain as a distraction to stop himself from the fear he could hear in the other man's voice. He took a deep breath, steadying himself for his next question, his voice now softer, filled with concern. "Is it because of me?"

There was silence on the other end of the line. "_What?_"

"Is it because of me and Kurt that you're not in today?"

* * *

**Cliffhanger! :O Let me know what you guys thought of that :)**

**Also, I'm going to uploading for my friend RainySunnyEnding again tomorrow, so please make sure you check out her story Tears & Cookies if you haven't already, as well as my other friends who I mentioned last time - I-might-BE-slightly-INSANE and GirlInTheBlueHoodie. Thanks, guys :) Love ya loads! :D**

**Until Thursday,**

**C xx**


	27. Clearing Things Up

**Hi there! Okay so this chapter is the phonecall between Thad and Blaine, mainly because the reviews I got last time were all about how I cut it off where I did. It's also because I wanted to get this completely cleared up, and so by doing it in one chapter it means I can just let the boys talk and stuff. I hope this does clear things up, and I hope you all enjoy it :) C xx**

* * *

"Is it because of me and Kurt that you're not in today?" Blaine almost winced when he said it, not really sure how his best friend would react to him being so… open about it.

"_What? No- I mean, yes a little but not completely, no._" Blaine frowned; he could hear the slight distress in Thad's voice, and then – as his brain allowed him to think back to what he had been told – he started to feel guilt creep up on him before it punched him straight in the chest.

_He told Sue that he had a 'family issue'_, Santana's husky voice repeated in his head.

_He won't be in tonight. _

Blaine felt like crying; he'd completely forgotten about what Thad's reasoning to his absence was, and now he was phoning him up, _demanding_ that his best friend was hiding something from him. His grandmother could be ill for god's sakes, or his crazy Uncle Joe could be in hospital after another one of his stupid inventions went wrong – the man had been an 'inventor' for the past ten years now, and not _once_ had one of them ever worked… unless they were _meant_ to blow up in his face – and yet here Blaine was, convinced that _he_ was actually the reason to his friend not being there.

_We're not meant to expect him in tomorrow either._

Blaine abruptly panicked that this was something _incredibly_ serious, and Thad might actually need his _support_.

"_Blaine? Are you still there?_" Blaine shook his head to bring himself back to the present, his throat now dry with dread.

"Uh, yeah- Yeah, I'm still here," Blaine cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, thinking of what to say whilst treading lightly. "So, uh, why aren't you- Why aren't you in today? Sue said something about a 'family issue'?"

"_Oh, right…_" Blaine could just imagine Thad looking around frantically, probably trying to come up with a good cover story.

"Whatever it is, you know I'm here for you, dude," Blaine reassured him, but immediately cringed. He just hoped Thad would let it be…

"_Dude?_" He exclaimed, the amusement in his voice clearly audible. He had evidently heard Blaine's slip of the tongue. "_Since when did you say 'dude'? Like, ever?_"

"Sorry, I… I guess I've been hanging around Finn too much of late," Blaine dropped his head into his hand, still embarrassed even though he knew it would have been worse had he and Thad had this conversation in person.

"_Yeah, yeah,_" Thad mocked him, nearly singing. Blaine could hear distant voices in the background, but they weren't any family members Blaine recognized – they sounded like children. Blaine was just about to ask when Thad carried on. "_How is Kurt, by the way?_" It had meant to sound casual, but Blaine could hear the concern clearly in his best friend's voice and it was obvious how much Thad still cared for the chestnut-haired beauty in question.

"Yeah, he's… he's great." Blaine closed his eyes and steadied himself against his make-up table. "I, er, I actually wanted to talk to you… about… him."

"…_Oh?_"

"Yeah, I just- I wanted to make sure you were okay with… us." The line went silent on the other end, and Blaine had to check his phone to make sure the call hadn't disconnected.

"…_Why wouldn't I be?_" Blaine wasn't sure if him knowing Thad for so long was a blessing or a curse during this conversation, because knowing him for so long made it easier for Blaine to talk to him, yet knowing him so well meant that Blaine knew just what kind of things affected Thad; and romance was one of them.

"Well, you know… because you and him- and now _me_ and him-"But Blaine's stammers were cut short.

"_Blaine,_" The tone of Thad's voice demanded immediate attention, and Blaine felt himself stand up slightly straighter as if he were back at school about to be lectured by a teacher. "_Look, yes, okay so I liked Kurt – really liked him – and I know how upset I got over it when he ended… whatever it was we had going on between us, but that was only because I thought I'd done something wrong. You know me, Blaine - I'm a drama queen. And sure, when I found out about you and Kurt I… kind of, maybe, slightly overreacted a little bit and ran off, but I guess it was really only because I felt that – after you and Kurt moved in together – we'd been drifting a little bit, and you not telling me felt like another step apart._" Blaine listened on in silence, blinking back the sting in his eyes as tears threatened to fall at hearing his best friend speak the worries that had been plaguing Blaine's own mind for the past few weeks. "_It was really stupid of me, and I _am_ sorry for that, but let's face it – it was only a matter of time until you and Kurt got together… I guess I just- when I met him, I thought '_oh, maybe this could be another chance for me, another shot at the romance thing', _but it was always blindingly obvious that you two were going to be together_._ Do you remember when you found him again? You were so happy you didn't shut up for three days!_" Blaine grinned despite how close he was to tears; knowing that someone else thought that he and Kurt were so destined to be together filled him with a sense of pride, joy and relief. "_I'm really happy for you, Blainers, especially after the shit that that asshole, Sebastian, put you through._" The conversation stilled for a few seconds as both of them shuddered at the memory, but Thad quickly spoke again. "_Really, though… I'm seriously happy for you, B, and _I _shouldn't be the one to stand in the way of that. If I were you, I wouldn't have told me – I'd be too busy screaming with joy from the fucking rooftops!_" Both men snorted with laughter, finally easing back into their old, easy ways of conversation.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that, T," Blaine managed to get out after a number of seconds of belly-aching laughter. "I really thought I'd fucked up our whole friendship for second!" He let out a small, nervous laugh.

"_Blaine, I'm pretty sure we fucked this friendship up plenty of times at Dalton; we can make it through anything now!_"

"That's true," Blaine chuckled, recalling the numerous 'incidents' that the Warblers and the boarders of the private school managed to pull off without being expelled. Blaine sighed; partially contentedly from the memories that had swarmed him, and partially in relief that his friendship with Thad was still going strong. "But I really am _so_ glad that we're okay; without my parents around, you're the one I felt like I needed the approval of over who I date, if that makes sense."

"_It totally does. And I feel the same way; my folks aren't exactly the most supportive of my lifestyle either, especially the fact that I'm gay, too. If they'd had it their way I definitely would not be an actor on Broadway right now_."

"Same here." Blaine had always been – in a weird, maybe slightly twisted way – so grateful that Thad's parents hadn't accepted his sexuality either, as well as Blaine's parents not accepting his. It meant that the two of them had been thrown even closer together at a very vulnerable and confusing age, strengthening their bond as friends and giving them both an understanding shoulder to lean on. Feeling that the conversation was getting slightly too sentimental for just half an hour before the show, Blaine decided to switch the topic back to why he'd phoned in the first place. "So why aren't you in today?" This time he asked his voice was softer, now knowing that – whatever the reason was – it was serious.

"_Well, you know my sister, Jen, has a crazy work schedule?_" Blaine had met Jen numerous times over the years, but it had been a few years since they had last seen each other. Mainly because of Jen's said crazy work schedule, but also because of her having had twins four years ago, causing her opportunities of free time to diminish. Thad's question was more rhetorical, and therefore he didn't require an answer to continue. "_Well, she got called to a meeting at really short notice all the way over in San Francisco, and me being the only other member of the family in New York at the moment she roped me in for last minute babysitting._" Well, that explained the children's' voices Blaine had heard earlier. Thad sighed heavily down the phone. "_So I'm caught up out here for a few days._"

"Hold on, why can't Andy look after the kids?" Blaine remembered Jen's husband Andy, even though he hadn't exactly been welcomed by the brown-haired, 6" 1' brute of a man; he was homophobic, and although he had been able to overlook Thad's sexual orientation for the sake of his wife and her family values, the gracious hand of acceptance had not been extended to Blaine.

"_He's in Cali,_" Thad said flatly; he didn't much approve of his sister's romantic choices either. "_He won't be back until next week, apparently. Which leaves me here until Tuesday morning when Jen gets back. But it's not so bad; gives me time to think about some stuff._" 'That's obviously me and Kurt', Blaine thought. "_Although, she _actually _gets back Monday night, but I completely understand her wanting a full night's sleep before facing the Terrible Twosome in here._" He chuckled lightly, and Blaine could hear him moving through the house. Squeals of delight became louder, and Blaine could feel a slight pull at his heartstrings – he'd always wanted children of his own. "_You two alright in here? – Yes, Uncle Thad! – Alright, good. I'll be back in a minute, okay? – Okay!_ – _I'm telling you, Blaine, God bless the person who invented cartoons, because they are serious lifesavers!_"

Blaine jumped at the pounding on his door. "Hold on a second." He lowered the phone slightly and moved over to the door, surprised that whoever it was hadn't burst into the room due to his door being unlocked. He opened his door to see a shy-looking Nick – Duval, Blaine thought his name was – wringing his hands nervously and glancing around uneasily, occasionally darting a glance down the hall. Blaine saw this and followed his gaze, just in time to see a sniggering Richard and Wes ducking around the corner out of sight. Blaine rolled his eyes and turned back to Nick, and realised that he must have completely freaked the poor guy out on his first day.

And he had no doubt that Wes and Richard had taken no time in telling Nick tall-tales of Blaine's old anger issues back at Dalton.

"Hey… Nick, right?" Blaine smiled warmly down at him, determined not to let Richard and Wes mess around with the young understudy. Nick nodded hesitantly, warily staring up at Blaine with big deer-in-the-headlights eyes. "What can I do for you?"

"Uh… S-Sue said c-curtain call is in f-f-fifteen minutes."

"Okay, thanks," Blaine grinned, nodding slightly. He turned to go back into his dressing room before turning back to Nick. "Oh, and don't listen to Wes and Rich – they like to tell _very_ tall-tales. I'm really not as bad as they make me out to be."

"Oh, Blaine!" Wes whined, coming around the corner and stubbornly putting his hands on his hips. "No fair! He believed us, as well!" He pouted, glowering at Blaine as Richard appeared behind him.

"Yeah, that's what I was worried about," Blaine shot back, grinning smugly at how childish his two friends _still_ were. He turned back to Nick, who was now watching the exchange between the other actors with a perplexed expression. "Look, I'd really like to get to know you and stuff – an protect you from the likes of these two idiots-"

"Hey!" Came the simultaneous cries from the two ex-Dalton students.

"But I'm just in the middle of a phone call." He gestured to his phone and shrugged his shoulders slightly. Nick's eyes widened at the sight of Blaine's phone in his hand.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry! I'll just- I'll let you- Sorry, sorry, sorry!" He stumbled backwards down the hall, quickly tripping over his own feet, falling down and grabbing onto Wes's jacket, the Asian man proceeding to clutch onto Richard's arm, resulting in all three boys in a heap on the floor by the time Blaine had gone back into his room.

"Sorry about that," Blaine spoke back into his phone, shaking his head as he began to change into his 'Tony' outfit with his phone pressed between his ear and his shoulder.

"_It's fine; I can't believe how much I'm actually missing that bizarre place!_" Thad joked. "_And it's peculiar inhabitants_!"

"God, this place really has gotten to you, hasn't it? Enjoy your freedom while you can, Thaddeus!" Thad laughed heartily into the phone.

"_Yeah, you're right. Hey, I'll let you get ready, okay?_"

"How did you-?"

"_Blaine, I've been in that place longer than you have; I think I know what time the show starts._" He explained down the phone. "_Plus, I heard… whoever that was talking to you. Who was that? They sounded new… and apologetic. I take it whoever it was had been under the influence of Rich and Wes?_"

"Yeah, he was. They'd obviously decided to indulge him in some exaggerated versions of my so-called temper at Dalton-"

"_'__So-called temper'? Blaine you started a fight club-_"

"Which is never to be spoken about!" Blaine exclaimed as he pulled his pants up over his knees, bolting upright. Thad just laughed again down the phone. "But – to answer your earlier question – his name is Nick; he's your understudy."

"_Ooh! What's he like? Does he look like me?_"

"I thought you were going to let me get ready?" Blaine smirked.

"_Oh right, sorry! I'll call you tomorrow or something, yeah? We can meet up when I get back or something?_"

"Yeah, definitely. I'll speak to you later! Bye!"

"_Bye, Blainers._"

Blaine hung up the phone and instantly dropped into the chair behind him, his pants now on properly, and heaved a huge sigh of relief. _That was so much easier than I could have ever hoped for it to be,_ Blaine reflected, imagining all of the ways that conversation could have gone. At least now he knew that Thad was okay with it; in fact, he was incredibly supporting of it.

_Kurt's going to be so happy_, he smiled to himself as he reached for his hair gel.

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**Thoughts? :D **

**C xx**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey guys :) This has taken me about twenty minutes to upload because my laptop is being frustating slow :( But I've been listening to The Runaways to pass the time so it's all good :) Not sure how to describe this chapter, apart from some fluff at the end. This is actually the first chapter I've uploaded without a beta, so I hope it's okay! I was going to send it to RainySunnyEnding but the time just kept getting later and later and I don't like uploading too late. Forgive me, Rainsy? *Puppy eyes***

**Hope you all enjoy this!**

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The rest of the evening went without a hitch. Blaine was much more relaxed after his conversation with Thad, and for the first time in a few days he spent the evening having fun on- and off- stage. He even managed to rescue Nick from Richard and Wes during the interval so as to get to know him better.

Nick Duval was a quiet boy from Florida. His black hair and blue eyes gave him an innocent boy-next-door appeal, with his seemingly limitless cheer made it hard not to be drawn to him. At only 22 it turned out the young actor had just graduated from the University of South Florida, and had done a five month stint in an off-Broadway production of RENT, as well as four and a half months as an extra in Les Mis. He'd earnt his role as Thad Harwood's understudy when said actor had beaten him to the part in the auditions last year. Nick was good- outstanding even- it just turned out that Thad was better.

Blaine quickly learnt that Nick was gay; it was pretty obvious after he started talking about his boyfriend, Jeff, and so Blaine offered Nick his support should he get any trouble for it.

By the end of the night Blaine could tell that he could easily make friends with this boy and hoped that he would stick around, without Thad having to leave, of course. Blaine had explained the whole Thad-him-Kurt situation to Nick – in much less detail of course – and had then told him all about Kurt, both boys swapping anecdotes and the things they found adorable in their respective boyfriends.

* * *

"…_and I just still can't believe he even asked me on a date in the first place!_" Mercedes exclaimed for the seventh time over the past hour and a half. Kurt playfully rolled his eyes and shifted slightly on the couch, hooking his right hand around his right calf as he held his phone to his ear with his left. He'd been listening to Mercedes chatter excitedly over the past half an hour, turning his attention to Maria and the Von Trapp children every now again when she started to repeat herself. Kurt had never had the heart to stop any of his friends when they were in the middle of gushing to him about their latest date, but this was the longest he'd ever sat through. "_Oh, Boo, it was amazing. I can't wait until I see him again!_"

Finally; a prompt for him to join the conversation. "You got a second date already?"

"_Well… he said he wanted to see me again, and of course I agreed, and then he said he'd see me soon… Oh god, he's not gonna call me is he? Kurt, did he totally hate me and now he's never going to call me again?_"

"Don't be so stupid, Mercedes," Kurt scolded, struggling to hold back a small laugh. "Of course he's going to call you back. I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to call you right now but you were too busy gushing about him to me – quite rightly, I might add. I'm sure he loved you, 'Cedes."

"…_Really?_"

"_Yes_. Mercedes, you just spent the past…" Kurt checked his watch and his eyes widened when he noticed the time – Blaine would be heading home in about half an hour. "Hour and a half telling me how _amazing_ your date was, and hun I gotta tell ya; I don't think first dates are _that_ amazing if the guy isn't all that into you." A small giggle sounded in his ear.

"_You think so?_"

"I _know_ so."

"… _Thanks, Kurt,_" Mercedes sounded genuinely sincere, a change from her usual loud, exuberant, powerful voice.

"No problem, 'Cedes," Kurt couldn't help but grin; the satisfaction he felt after helping someone out, even if it was just a few small words of reassurance, was fabulous. There was a small pause as the two of them smiled to themselves, each of them still reeling from how close they had become over the past few weeks.

"_So… how's your love life going, Kurtie?_" Kurt thought about it for a second; was he allowed to tell her that he was dating Blaine? Or- because she hadn't asked _directly_ if he was dating Blaine- he didn't _have_ to tell her?

"Pretty good," He grinned, giggling when Mercedes near screamed down the phone.

"_Ohmygod who is he? Who is he?_"

"He's… just a guy I… met,"

"_Kurt, you gotta give me more than that!_"

"It's nothing, Mercedes, I swear!" She scoffed. "We haven't even been on a date! I just l- I really, _really_ like him."

"_Well, get a move on then! Don't just sit around on that little white boy ass of yours waiting for Mr Right, Kurtie- go out there and find him!_"

"I already _have_, 'Cedes! We're just- I don't know."

"_Who is he?_"

"You don't know him." Kurt shot back a little too quickly. "I mean- It's nothing Mercedes, please just- Just drop it, okay? I'm sure it'll… progress soon enough."

"… _Hmm. Okay, Boo, if you really want me to drop it, I'll drop it._"

"Thank you."

"…_Is he hot?_"

"Mercedes!"

"_What? You don't have to tell me who he is! I just want to know if he's hot._" Kurt frowned in thought; he could _easily_ describe Blaine and not give away who he was, but then again, Mercedes saw him nearly every day at work and what if she recognized something about him? What if she figured it out? Kurt didn't want to tell anyone else until he'd talked with Blaine about what had happened earlier. "_Kurt? Stop daydreaming about your lover-boy and tell me if he's hot or not!_"

"He's _very_ hot," Kurt smirked, remembering how he'd seen Blaine shirtless in bed a few nights ago- something the shorter man still didn't know about. "Like, _smoking_. I'm not even kidding, 'Cedes. Oh, good lord it _must_ be illegal for a human being to be so hot!"

"_Kurt, I'm impressed! I've never heard you gush like this about _anything_, and that includes that Vogue article on Idina Menzel!_" Kurt could feel his cheeks burning up and could only imagine how red they were when he realised that was the most he'd _ever_ gushed over Blaine, let alone to Mercedes.

"Yeah… well-"

"_Is he really that hot?_"

"Yeah," Kurt giggled, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as he started to relax a little bit more. "He really is."

"_Ok, Boo, I don't care what you say- I _have_ to meet this boy. And soon._" Kurt stiffened in his seat, his hand still on the back of his neck, and he could feel his stomach plummeting with nerves.

"well- M-maybe… Maybe when we're _actually_ dating?"

"_Of course when you're dating, Kurt!_" Mercedes laughed. "_I'm not going to just stroll up this guy and introduce myself or anything!_"

"I wouldn't put it passed you," Kurt mumbled, just loud enough for Mercedes to hear the sarcasm in his voice.

"_I heard that, Hummel_."

"Sorry, Jones." Mercedes giggled, and Kurt could feel himself relax again. It wasn't that he didn't want Mercedes to meet the guy he was head-over-heels in love with, it's just… she already _knew_ him, and quite frankly Kurt was _terrified_ at what Mercedes would say when she found out it was Blaine and Kurt hadn't told her.

"_Look, Boo, I'd better go,_" She sighed. "_I don't want to imagine how much your phone is gonna be because of me!_"

"You're worth every penny, 'Cedes," Kurt smiled, but secretly he was agreeing that he _really needed to get off the phone_. "But I guess you're right- I should be getting to bed soon. I have work tomorrow."

"_You sound oh-so-excited about that." _Mercedes mocked, but laughed all the same."_Night, Kurt._"

"Night, Mercedes."

And with that Kurt hung up the phone, sighing heavily and lying back against the back sofa cushions. A sudden wave of drowsiness pulled his eyelids shut just as Maria, Captain Von Trapp and the children climbed the Swiss mountains and the credits began to roll.

* * *

Blaine closed the door to the apartment as quietly as he could; it was a Sunday, which meant that Kurt had work in the morning and most likely would already be in bed. Pulling his jacket off and hanging it up as he toed off his shoes, Blaine glanced towards the living room for reasons he wasn't quite sure of. He was surprised to see the light still on, and now he was stood still he could hear the faint music from the Sound of Music title menu floating through the open door.

Frowning, he started towards the room and hesitantly peeped around the door frame. Low and behold, there was Kurt. Peacefully asleep with his phone still in his hand and a cushion hugged to his chest, an empty wine glass on the coffee table next to the bottle. That's where Blaine moved to first; he picked up the glass and then the bottle, feeling that there was still over half of it left. Gazing down softly at Kurt again as he left, Blaine headed out into the kitchen to put lid back on the wine- thankfully it was a screw-cap rather than a corked bottle- and placed it back in the fridge. Back in the living room, he switched off the DVD player, making a mental note to take the DVD disk out in the morning.

Kurt was easy to scoop up when he was this asleep, and so Blaine carried him back to his room and laid his boyfriend down under the covers. Blaine knew that Kurt would be inevitably pissed off at him for putting him to bed in his clothes rather than changing him into his pyjamas, but after the night's more-lively-than-normal performance Blaine was exhausted.

As much as he wanted to curl up next to Kurt again, Blaine pulled himself away- not before placing a soft, chaste kiss on the sleeping man's lips- and made his way back to his own bedroom across the hall. Even in his sleepy state, Blaine remembered to pull on a pair of navy Dalton sweatpants he'd found in his wardrobe- just in case he ended up waking up at the same time as Kurt or something.

He was just drifting off to sleep when he heard movement outside his room; feet shuffling across the carpeted floors, a brief stumble at having to move around in the dark, and then nothing. He figured Kurt had woken and was trying to change into his pyjamas in the dark, but a soft knock on his door proved him wrong.

Sitting up, Blaine rubbed his eyes sleepily and waited for his eyes to readjust to the darkness of his room. He turned to his door to see the silhouette of his roommate standing there, one hand tentatively holding onto the doorframe whilst the other was fiddling with them hem of his pyjama shirt. _When did he get changed…?_ Blaine thought to himself, but before he could ask Kurt's timid voice whispered across the room.

"You're sleeping in your own bed?"

There was definitely a hint of hurt audible in his voice, and Blaine felt his heart melt at how vulnerable Kurt seemed right now. He nodded lightly before remembering that Kurt might not be able to see him. "Yeah," He cleared his throat as his voice came out slightly strangled. "I thought- I thought you might want some decent sleep for work tomorrow… I wasn't sure if you'd want me- I mean, I didn't know if you'd rather-"

"Can I sleep in here?" Blaine's eyebrows jumped and he blinked a few times before nodding slowly.

"Sure." He shifted over and pulled the covers back, allowing Kurt to slip in next to him.

"Thanks," Kurt mumbled sleepily, pulling the covers up around his shoulders as he laid his head down on the pillows facing Blaine. Blaine hesitantly followed after a few seconds, gazing through the dark into Kurt's eyes; he could see his face clearly now, and even in the dark Kurt's eyes seemed to have a small glint in them. "You know, I think I had a better sleep last night than I have in… a long time." He whispered, shimmying slightly closer under the covers; Blaine's body warmth acting like a magnet.

"Really?" Blaine copied him, unable to keep himself away much longer when Kurt was lying so close to him.

"Uh-huh," Kurt whispered again as his fingertips finally find Blaine's arm. He traced along the strong muscles he'd admired from afar for so many weeks, his hand just reaching Blaine's shoulder before tracing back down to his hand, which was now perched on Kurt's waist.

"Well, then it seems only fair that I should… help you sleep again tonight." Kurt smirked when Blaine shivered involuntarily under his touch, but sucked in a breath when Blaine's strong arms pulled him in close, their legs intertwining on autopilot as their bodies were brought together.

They fell asleep together sometime later, their chests rising and falling in synchronisation as their breathing levelled out, holding each other close with small, content smiles on their faces.

* * *

**See, I told you - FLUFF!**

**Writing this cheered me up no end, as I've got a really bad summer cold at the moment. As I told one of my other friends when she was through a rough patch - Klaine makes EVERYTHING better... even being ill :)**

**Thoughts? :)**

**C xx**


	29. Boyfriends

**Hey guys :) Chapter 29! Woo! Never thought it would end up being this far. Next chapter is the big three-oh, and I _am p_lanning a little present for you guys for reading so far and sticking with me through all of this :) **

**This chapter is actually being brought to you by my beta RainySunnyEnding, who you should totally go and say hi to - read Tears & Cookies, too! - because I'm actually probably still out at the moment. How is that I had to go out on a Thursday night? :( At least you guys aren't going chapter-less!**

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**Heh heh heh :) she foolishly trusted me to upload this - mwahaha :D ... Damn it, why can I never think of anything funny to say? I am just honoured to be trusted enough to look after Coatsy's baby, and especially this Totally Awesome chapter :) -Lu**

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**I hope you all enjoy it and I'll be back for True Colours on Sunday, and chapter 30 on Monday :D**

**C xx**

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_Fluttering his eyes open, Kurt found himself in the middle of Central Park, alone but not frightened. Even though Kurt could only see the area around him, he somehow knew that the whole park was empty. Strolling across the park, Kurt looked down to see that his feet were bare against the dew-sodden grass, the bottoms of the pyjama pants he wore getting slightly wet. He looked up to see another figure stood someway in the distance amongst a cluster of trees, Kurt straining his eyes to try and identify them. _

_And then he was closer, the trees – and the figure- just under ten meters away now. The figure kept changing where he stood – Kurt knew now that it was definitely a 'he' – hiding behind trees or turning his back just as Kurt found him again. _

"_Kurt?" A clear voice, like it was right in his ear, behind Kurt made him turn around only to come face to face with a pair of warm, glinting hazel eyes. Looking down to take in the man's appearance Kurt felt a jolt of recognition; the yellow bow tie, the red jumper- it was the outfit Blaine had worn that eventful Sunday when their reunion had been cut short by Sebastian's infidelity._

"_Blaine," Kurt breathed in relief, suddenly feeling as if he had been panicked before, even though he didn't remember feeling anything but calm. "I've been looking for you." Had he? Kurt didn't remember looking for anyone, let alone Blaine- he'd just been walking in the park. _

_The park that was… now a back garden. _

"_What are you talking about?" Blaine smirked, taking Kurt's hands in his. "_I've_ been looking for _you_."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because I love you, silly!" Blaine laughed, dragging Kurt back towards the house that had appeared to Kurt's right. It was a little like his father's house, but crossed with the kind of houses one saw in a magazine or a TV programme; one that housed a 'perfect' family who smiled all the time and never argued. Kurt could only see the back, but he already knew that it was his house; he knew that his Navigator was parked out the front, next to another car that must have been Blaine's, but the model was one he didn't know. He knew that in the living room there would be a simple colour scheme with a few toys in the corner next to a pile of DVDs. He knew that in the kitchen everything would be neat and have its place, yet the fridge would be covered in drawings and grade cards and shopping lists. "Now come inside, we're waiting for you."_

"_We?" Kurt felt his legs stop walking, but looking at Blaine he knew that he was- somehow- still moving. Blaine had an arm around Kurt's waist, holding Kurt's hand with his free one, and was leading him towards the house that they seemed to have gotten no closer to. _

"_We." Blaine nodded, looking towards the house. Kurt followed his gaze and saw two small children, a girl and a boy, now sat on the porch by the back door. They were playing something- chess, maybe, or draughts- but they looked up to see Kurt and Blaine walking towards them. They rushed up to Blaine, who was now several strides ahead of Kurt, who remained still where he stood. _

"_Daddy!" Kurt heard the girl cry, and looking at her Kurt could tell she was older than her brother. She was just like Blaine; an olive complexion topped off with a mass of dark curls which- unlike Blaine's- fell to her shoulders, with his dark, hazel eyes that glimmered with hints of honey. She wore a simple summer dress, white and plain, and like Kurt she was barefoot. Kurt felt the need to reprimand her, to tell her to put some shoes on when she was outside, but he felt like that would be intruding on the perfect scene and so decided to keep his mouth shut. He watched on as the girl flew into Blaine's open arms, her father picking her up and spinning her round, both of them laughing and beaming._

_Kurt then turned his attention to the small boy who still stood there, now seemingly shy and quiet and gazing at the floor with a slightly saddened look. Like his sister, he wore all white and no shoes; a plain white t-shirt with plain white shorts. Kurt stepped forwards, making the boy look up, and was shocked to see that this boy was the mirror image of his younger self. He had the same chestnut-brown hair, and even at a young age it was perfectly styled. 'I must have had something to do with that', Kurt pondered to himself, his gaze moving down to the boys eyes; they were blue- no, was that a hint of green in there? Or was that grey? It was hard to tell, but Kurt could see the recognition in them as this young boy began to smile at him. _

"_Daddy!" He cheered, skipping towards Kurt's now-open arms. "You came!" Kurt smiled at him, waiting for the boy to meet his grasp so that he could pick him up just as Blaine had done with the girl, but just as the boy reached him everything became brighter. _

_The scene before him began to fade, but Kurt felt almost peaceful about it. Just before it faded completely, Kurt managed to look down at his left hand to see a shining silver band with a diamond embedded in the centre, the sparkling gem flanked by a green gem on one side and a honey-coloured jewel on the other._

* * *

Kurt awoke to strong arms around his waist, a peaceful smile gracing his features as he awoke from a dream he couldn't quite remember; something about a house, a park or a forest- he remembered trees, at least- and a ring; Kurt definitely remembered a ring. But the memory of it all began to slip away when a gentle kiss was placed just below his ear, warm breath tracing across his neck.

"Morning," He murmured sleepily, a dopey smile spreading slowly across his face as he turned slightly, just far enough to look over his shoulder. Blaine smiled back at him, his hazel eyes soft as he gazed upon the semi-conscious man in his arms.

"Morning," He mumbled in reply, his eyes not leaving Kurt's as he ducked his head down and kissed his shoulder. "Did I wake you?" Even though Blaine wasn't sure _how_ he could have woken Kurt - all of the kisses he'd placed on Kurt's pale skin had been delicate, his lips barely even grazing the exposed surface, and when he'd buried his face into the crook of Kurt's neck earlier he had been nothing if not gentle - but he said it anyway.

"Mm'no," Kurt smiled, closing his eyes again contentedly as he rolled over completely, burying his face into Blaine's neck.

"Good sleep?" Blaine smirked as Kurt snuggled against him, their bodies flush against each other.

"Mhmm," Kurt nodded slightly, the movement causing Blaine to squirm slightly as Kurt's nose tickled his neck. "I had the most wonderful dream, actually."

"Oh yeah?" Kurt nodded again into his neck, this time humming in agreement. "What was it about?"

"…No idea," Kurt giggled quietly, keeping his face buried in Blaine's neck to hide his blush. His spine tingled as Blaine began to trace his fingers up and down Kurt's back, giving the taller man shivers. Kurt's arm snaked around Blaine's waist, holding them closer together, whilst the other stayed between their shoulders, Kurt's fingers brushing against Blaine's neck.

"Sounds like a brilliant dream," Blaine chuckled into his ear, continuing to softly stroke Kurt's back.

"Shut up, you," Kurt used the hand around Blaine's waist to poke his boyfriend in the side as Blaine laughed quietly. "What time is it?" Kurt recalled from somewhere in the back of his mind that it was Monday, which meant that he would have to drag himself out of bed and away from Blaine's warmth at some point. Blaine, who still had his arms around Kurt's waist, began to rub Kurt's back gently as he leant down to kiss Kurt's neck again.

"Nearly six," He whispered, feeling Kurt relax underneath him as he caressed the skin under his ear with his nose. "When do you have to leave for work?"

"Hopefully never," Kurt sighed, laughing slightly before sighing as Blaine began a trail of kisses down his neck to his collarbone. "I-I have a class today at nine, so I really should be at work for half past eight… at the latest."

All Blaine said was "Ok" before his mouth was on Kurt's. He kept it PG, knowing that Kurt would probably be worrying about morning breath - something Blaine had never really cared much about before - and pulled back before he got too carried away. Seeing Kurt smiling sleepily up at him made his heart jolt in his chest and it pained him to move away from the pale, slender body beneath him.

"I'll get started on breakfast, if you want?" He gently unwrapped his arms from Kurt's waist, a little piece of his heart breaking when he heard Kurt whimper softly. Blaine couldn't help himself; he shifted closer again and pulled Kurt close to him, burying his nose in his chestnut-brown hair and breathing in pure _Kurt_, feeling Kurt relax in his arms again.

"Can't we just stay here all day?" Kurt asked after a few moments of comfortable silence, sighing peacefully and entwining his legs with Blaine's as he spoke.

"Unfortunately, no; we both have jobs, Kurt."

"Fine," Kurt pouted, looking down to their hands as they joined, fingers intertwining.

"Come on," Blaine smiled, sitting up properly and pulling Kurt out of bed with him. "Let's go get some breakfast." He leant down to kiss Kurt's adorable pout away, satisfied when it was replaced by a smile.

* * *

Kurt was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. No- he was much higher than cloud nine- he was on cloud… twenty seven. And counting. As he walked through the corridors of NYADA, Kurt could not stop the smile that spread across his face. He was smiling so much his cheeks hurt, but he really couldn't care less right now. All he could care about was the conversation he and Blaine had had over breakfast that morning.

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"_Kurt, can I ask you something?" Blaine twiddled his fork between his fingers, staring down at the omelette on his plate rather than eating it. Kurt looked up, his own fork halfway to his mouth, to see Blaine looking slightly uncomfortable- and a little worried- like he was going to ask something huge._

"…_Yes?" Kurt put his fork back down, turning his full attention to Blaine with concern rushing through him and taking Blaine's hand in both of his._

"_Are we…" Blaine gestured between the two of them, looking up slightly through his long lashes before blushing and looking back down when he realised Kurt was looking at him._

"_Are we… what?" Kurt prompted, raising his eyebrows in a way that suggested Blaine should continue._

"_Are we… together?" Blaine felt so immature, like he was a teenager again in high school asking his first crush out on a date. Not that he'd ever done that, of course; his first crush had actually been a girl named Sophie but Blaine had never had the courage to talk to her, and before he knew it he was crushing on her boyfriend, Joel, so it was probably best not to ask either of them out._

_Kurt looked a little stunned, blinking a few times and visibly swallowing as he gathered his thoughts. "I- I, uh… I hope so," He smiled a little nervously, squeezing Blaine's hand affectionately. Blaine looked up at him, his cheeks still slightly coloured, with the beginnings of tears in his eyes. It wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting, but it wasn't a bad reaction either. "Although," Kurt smiled ruefully, and Blaine felt his heart drop before Kurt saw his expression do the same. "You never actually asked me out." He winked, playfully, and then blushed at his own behaviour; he'd never really been the flirty type- maybe Blaine just brought it out in him._

_Blaine visibly relaxed, his shoulders losing some of their tension and his heart climbing back up from where it had dropped to his feet. "Oh," Was all he could manage, unable to stop grinning like the love-struck fool that he was. "Right." All of his earlier nerves dissipated, now replaced with a fresh set of new ones. He took a deep breath, both boys gazing expectantly at each other as he opened his mouth to speak. "Kurt Hummel," He started, feeling adrenaline course through his veins as the taller boy smiled and nodded slightly, already sniffling quietly. "I love you… willyoubemyboyfriend?" He let it all out in one breath, rushing his words and closing his eyes tight as he spoke._

"_I'm sorry," Kurt laughed, wiping a tear from his cheek. "I didn't quite catch that?" Blaine blushed deep crimson, but laughed as well. He rose from his chair, moving round to kneel next to Kurt whilst never letting go of his hand._

_Once next to him, Blaine knelt down and cupped Kurt's pale cheek with his free hand, hazel eyes staring into glasz. _

"_Will you," Blaine inched closer, Kurt's smile faltering slightly as his gaze drifted down to Blaine's lips and back up to his eyes again. _

"_Be my," Blaine was merely inches away from being able to press his mouth to Kurt's, but decided to change course and allowed his lips to graze against Kurt's left cheek, his glasz eyes fluttering shut as his breath hitched._

"_Boyfriend?" Blaine moved his mouth over to Kurt's right cheek, lingering only slightly as he felt Kurt's breath against his lips. He sat back on his heels, watching Kurt for his reaction. Kurt's eyes fluttered open after a few seconds, immediately locating Blaine's and locking onto them. _

_Blaine almost tumbled backwards as Kurt's mouth clashed against his, his tongue desperately begging entry. With a small, breathy moan Blaine complied, dragging Kurt down onto the floor next to him so that they were both kneeling together. _

_Even when they began to feel lightheaded, they both persisted for a few more seconds of pleasure before breaking apart, flushed and breathless. _

"_I love you, too," Kurt beamed, his eyes alight with desire and elation. "Of course I will."_

* * *

Kurt almost laughed to himself at how perfect everything seemed to be as he entered the staffroom that morning, immediately heading towards the table where he knew Tina and Rory were already sat. He just couldn't believe his luck at how - after a slight hiccup here and there - everything seemed to be falling into place; at how _Blaine_ was officially his _boyfriend_.

_His. Boyfriend._

"How can you be so happy on a Monday morning?" Tina groaned, Rory smirking and rolling his eyes at her as she scrutinized Kurt with a tired glare.

"Because I just can," Kurt grinned back, putting the few papers he had held in his hands on the table in front of him and putting his messenger bag next to his feet. "What's up with you?" He frowned in Tina's direction, but she only groaned and clasped her head in her hands. Kurt turned to Rory for an explanation.

"Mike took her out Saturday night," He grinned, obviously enjoying how a usually-well-mannered Tina cursed alcohol under her breath. "She hasn't _quite_ recovered yet."

"Ah," Kurt nodded once, but Rory noticed a small, mischievous glint appear in Kurt's eye. He watched in anticipation as Kurt gathered up his papers again, shuffling them around a bit so they were in a neat pile, and then heavily dropped them onto the table- right next to where Tina's head lay.

"KURT!" She clutched at her hair as a gunshot rang through her brain, wincing again when her cry caused a second wave of numb pain. "Not fair…" She crossed her arms and hid her face in them as Rory and Kurt high-fived over the table, both of them sniggering at their co-worker.

"That's what you get for coming into work with a hangover, Tina," Kurt smirked, pulling his papers back towards him across the table. "So, Rory," Kurt started, turning back to his Irish colleague. "How was _your_ weekend?"

"Grand, actually," His ever-lasting cheer lit up his face, making his blue eyes twinkle with joy. "Mam called again- ended up speaking to her for nearly two hours- and then I decided to go out and I… I met someone." Kurt squealed and clapped his hands gleefully, earning another groan from Tina.

"Do tell! Where did you meet her? What's she like?" Rory chuckled and shook his head, having expected nothing less.

"She's… she's amazing. I was walking through Central Park and she fell into my arms- literally," He laughed again at the memory, remembering the dirty-blonde angel that had tripped in front of him, Rory only just managing to reach out and catch her before she fell to the pavement. "She works in a theatre, I think she said- to be honest, I wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying; I couldn't stop staring at her eyes." Rory seemed to drift off into his own little world for a few seconds, gazing at his hands, before snapping back awake and blushing, sheepishly glancing up at Kurt only to look away again.

"She sounds lovely, Rory," Kurt grinned, reaching over the table to place his hand over his Irish counterpart's reassuringly. "Did you happen to get her name, by any chance? Or did that slip your mind, too?" He gave a teasing wink as he pulled his hand away.

"No, I got her name," Rory pouted back, blushing ferociously. "Her name is Sugar. Sugar Motta." Kurt's eyebrows raced to his hairline, causing Rory to send a worried frown his way. "Kurt? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Kurt shook his head slightly and grinned. "Yeah, it's just- I know her!" He laughed, but Rory just got even more confused.

"You do?"

"Yes! She works at the theatre where Blaine does," Kurt shrugged his shoulders, attempting to be nonchalant, but even he could notice how much he lit up by merely _mentioning_ the dark haired actor. "Costume design, right?"

"…Yeah," Rory exhaled sharply, halfway between a small laugh and a scoff. He seemed to think about something for a while, frowning to himself before looking up at Kurt. "Do you… go to the theatre a lot? To see Blaine, I mean. 'Cos, I was thinking, maybe I could tag along with you, sometime? Y'know, say hi to Sugar or something?"

"I think that is a particularly awesome idea, sorry Tina," Kurt beamed, biting his lip as he apologised for drumming his hands on the table excitedly. "You get to see Sugar again, and I get to see my boyfriend- I mean, my Blaine- I mean, _Blaine_. I get to see _Blaine_." Rory's eyes widened in delight, and Tina even managed to raise her head to stare up at him with a weak grin.

"You two finally got together?" Rory asked, his voice slightly higher than usual in his excitement. At this point, Kurt's entire face and neck was burning tomato red, but the undeniable grin on his face was enough of a confirmation for his colleagues. Rory whooped and got up from his seat, nearly tipping Kurt's chair backwards with the force of the hug that he gave him. Kurt reached out for the table in a blind panic, only just managing to still himself on the back two legs of his chair before he toppled over completely. He patted Rory on the back with his other hand, half in thanks for being so… overjoyed about his and Blaine's relationship, but also half in an attempt to tell him that he was feeling a little smothered and quite frankly, it was hard to breathe through Rory's spruce green sweater vest.

As Rory pulled away, Kurt glanced over at the clock. It read 8:43 am. Kurt had just over 15 minutes to get to his first class, and so hastily said goodbye to his fellow teachers and dashed out of the staff room - not before being pulled into another hug by Rory and recommending several hangover cures for Tina - heading to his own classroom.

Once Kurt was out of sight, Rory pulled out his phone and quickly typed out a text. "What are you doing?" Tina asked groggily, balling her hands into fists against her forehead as she saw Rory texting eagerly.

He didn't look up until he'd read over his text and pressed send, putting his phone away and turning to beam at her innocently. "Just spreading the news."


	30. First Date Part One

**Hey guys! Chapter 30! Holyyy shit I never thought this story would end up going this far! It's been extended, developed and edited countless times, and so i have no idea how long this story will end up being on a whole. I just really wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for reading, reviewing, favouriting and alerting this story. It really does mean so much to me. As an aspiring author it is so reassuring to see that so many people enjoy my writing. I am so seriously grateful, and if I could I would go around and give all of you a huge hug... and a high five... and a pack of Redvines each... Just- Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.**

**I'd also like to shout out to my online beta, RainySunnyEnding. She. Is. Fantabulous. I love her to pieces, and I don't think I would be anywhere near as confident about this story as I am now if it weren't for her input. She's a top-notch gal, and I don't know where I'd be without her. I say this nearly every time but go and check out her story, Tears & Cookies. I beta for her and I can honestly say I think it's amazing, just like she is. So, a HUUUGGEE thanks to her for helping me out with this.**

**My other beta is my best friend. Seriously. We're beyond best friends, now. I've known her since nursery school, and we've helped each other through so much that I don't know what I would do or where I would be without her in my life. Sam, I hope you're reading this, because I really mean it. I know we'll say it to each other from time to time, but I swear to whatever deity is up there that I would be a wreck if I didn't have you to stand by me. So, I guess this is a more public way of thanking you. For always being there, even after the stupid arguments. Oh, and you're sweetbreads ;)**

**Now, this chapter took longer than I expected to write but is nowhere near as long as I hoped for it to be, thus it being called 'First Date - Part One'. I'll do the second part on Thursday, and I'm not sure how long it will end up being. But this is really all I got so far on this and I didn't want to leave you guys without a chapter (I would never do that) so I found a cut-off point and I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**C xx**

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Blaine clambered out of the shower at just gone ten. Kurt had left for work at eight o'clock after their brief make-out session on the floor before they each returned to - and finished - their breakfasts. Blaine hadn't been able to keep himself away from his new boyfriend, it being official making it all the more unbelievable, and had happily sat on the foot of Kurt's immaculate bed as the taller boy had scrutinized every item of clothing in his wardrobe before deciding on an outfit for the day. Blaine had told him numerous times that he looked gorgeous in anything and everything, but he knew that this was just how Kurt got dressed in the mornings. And he loved it about him.

When Kurt had finally decided on an outfit - a black button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a dark grey waistcoat, black pants, white lace-up boots and a shimmering silver tie - he had insisted that Blaine leave the room whilst he did his moisturizing routine and styled his hair. That had left Blaine with having to find something to do while he waited, and ended up doing the washing up in five minutes. He then dried everything, and put everything away, in another five minutes, becoming slightly impatient. He knocked on Kurt's door, only for his porcelain-skinned beau to tell him he was only halfway through his moisturizing and he still had his hair to do. Blaine huffed and headed back down the corridor towards the living room, intending on entertaining himself with morning television only to find himself ultimately distracted by the constant replay of that morning playing in his head.

Kurt emerged from his bedroom just as quarter to eight approached, an excitable Blaine jumping up from the sofa immediately to kiss him softly, careful not to mess up Kurt's hair.

"No fair," Kurt attempted a pout as Blaine pulled away. Blaine frowned at him curiously, tipping his head to the side slightly and reminding Kurt of a puppy being told a command it hadn't learnt yet. "You can't just kiss me when I'm about to leave for work," Kurt murmured as he leant back in, his hands slowly climbing from Blaine's hands to his shoulders and finally wrapping around his neck. "It just makes me want to stay longer." He pressed their mouths together once more, this time allowing himself to delay separating their lips until the need for air became indispensable.

"Sorry about that," Blaine breathed, his eyes staying shut until fluttering open a few seconds after Kurt pulled away. "But you're just so… _tempting_." It was now that Kurt noticed how dark and lust-blown Blaine's eyes had become, the usual glints of honey now resembling shades of coffee or dark chocolate, and in his current position with Blaine's arms holding his waist tight and keeping their bodies touching Kurt was beginning to regret choosing to wear one of the tighter pairs of pants he owned. But with the mundane task of work beckoning him Kurt had to remember to keep himself under control.

"I really do have to go to work soon," Kurt smiled as they rested their foreheads together. As soon as the words passed his lips, Blaine grumbled unhappily- something that Kurt found _adorable_- and began pressing small, feather-light kisses along Kurt's jawline and down his neck, holding him tighter without- it seemed- the intention of ever letting him go. "Blaine…"

"Mm?"

"You're going to have to let me go, like, now," Kurt tried to gently push the shorter man off of him by his shoulders, but Blaine persisted an held him tighter, moving his mouth down to Kurt's collarbone and lower neck in a bid to get him to relent and stay just a little longer.

But they were both very aware of the fact that Kurt _had_ to leave for work soon, and so after placing a final kiss under his boyfriend's ear, Blaine reluctantly pulled away to look Kurt in the face.

"I love you," He whispered, the already-present flush on Kurt's cheeks ripening to a deeper shade of red.

"I love you, too," He whispered, his glasz eyes burning with honesty. "And… I have to go work." He brushed his nose against Blaine's in a brief eskimo-kiss before allowing their lips to meet for just over a second.

Turning to pick up his messenger bag that he'd left by the door, Kurt unwrapped Blaine's arms from around his waist and slung the bag over his shoulder, gripping the strap with both hands. He turned to see Blaine stood watching him with wide puppy-eyes that barely contained the level of his infatuation with the man in front of him. "I know I probably won't see you until later, which sucks, but I'll try and call you in my break or something," Blaine nodded quietly, looking to the floor and putting his hands in his sweatpants pockets. Kurt moved over to him and lifted Blaine's chin with his finger, looking directly into his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Blaine blushed and shuffled on the spot, keeping his gaze averted to the floor. "I don't want you to go," He mumbled, and Kurt could feel the heat rising up in his cheeks under his hand.

"I know," Kurt sighed softly, cupping his boyfriend's cheek and taking a step forwards to bring their bodies closer together. "I don't want to go either." He sighed again, heavier than before, as he rested his forehead against Blaine's, making a small noise of annoyance before he spoke again in a quieter voice. "It sucks that we're hardly going to be able to see each other during the week because of work."

"I know," Blaine mumbled in reply as he wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist. "But we'll figure something out. Is there anything you want to do this weekend?"

Kurt thought of all the things he and Blaine could do together that weekend, even though they didn't have a full day's worth of free time together. "Oh crap," He muttered, realisation hitting him. Blaine raised his eyebrows at him, a small amused smile on his face. "It's Rachel's birthday on Saturday – she's been planning the party for _weeks_. Will you- will you be able to go?" Kurt pulled back to gaze into his boyfriend's eyes, not hiding the hope in his voice.

"I should do," Blaine pondered over it slowly. "I'll talk to Sue when I got into work later; all it takes is a charming smile and a promise that my absence from the show for a night is _completely_ necessary and can't be helped for her to cave," He grinned smugly. "That woman just seems to love me."

"Yeah, yeah," Kurt rolled his eyes, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I just don't want you getting into trouble for taking too much time off work." He bit his lip and his brow furrowed.

Blaine shrugged his shoulders slightly, his hands still around Kurt's waist. "I don't think Sue minds, to be honest," He answered thoughtfully. "It means the understudies have a chance to perform every now and again rather than having to wait for one of us to actually _fall ill_." Kurt nodded his understanding, his eyes darting to the clock one more time before pulling away completely and instantly missing the warmth of Blaine's body next to his.

"I have to go," He smiled sadly as he opened the front door, turning back to look at Blaine one last time. "I love you."

"Love you too," Blaine smiled, waving as he watched Kurt exit the apartment. _Is it completely terrible that I miss him already?_ Blaine thought to himself, shaking his head to wake himself up from his trance-like state as he stared at the door. He walked around the apartment for a while, standing around in the kitchen before dawdling around the rest of the rooms. He ended up flopping down onto his bed, grabbing at the pillows in order to breathe in the unmistakable smell of Kurt.

A wide grin broke out across his face as he clutched the pillow, unable to stop himself from laughing in relief and ecstasy. He could now, with a doubt or suspicion in his mind, claim Kurt to be his own; his boyfriend. Blaine had been waiting a long time to be able to say the three little words to Kurt that made his heart swell, and now that he had he was constantly overcome by the weightless feeling he got whenever Kurt said them in return.

He must have fallen back asleep after a while, a vague memory of Kurt holding the hand of a small child and walking towards him slowly slipping away from his grasp as he rolled over in bed to see the time was now half past nine. Making the resolution to head into work slightly earlier today so that he could ask Sue about Saturday night, Blaine stumbled sleepily towards the bathroom. He let the water run and build up some heat as he stripped of his sweatpants, making sure a towel was in reach for when he got out before climbing in under the stream of water.

* * *

When first break eventually rolled around, Kurt wasted no time in pulling out his phone and instantly dialling Blaine's number. He drummed his fingers across his desk as he listened to the dial tone, Blaine picking up on the third ring.

"_Hey, Kurt!_" Kurt could practically _hear_ the bright-eyed grin on his face.

"Hey, yourself," Kurt grinned, dodging a few students in the corridor as he made his way to the staffroom. "Is it bad that I've really, _really_ missed you all morning?"

"_Not at all_," Blaine replied, his smooth voice making Kurt's heart flutter slightly with every word the other man spoke. "_Because I've really, _really_ missed you, too._"

Kurt bit his lip as he blushed, grinning from ear to ear. "I know it's not going to be until nearly eleven tonight that I'll see you again, but I _really_ can't wait."

"…_Yeah, me either,_" Kurt felt a small stab to his heart at how little conviction there had been to Blaine's last statement, but swallowed his concerns. "_It's not fair that we can barely see each other during the week!_"

"I know," Kurt soothed him, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "But we said we'd figure something out, remember?" Kurt slowed as he approached the staffroom door, the strong aroma of coffee trying to lure him inside.

"_Yeah, I know_," Blaine sighed airily on the other end of the phone. "_It's just not fair_." Kurt smirked at the audible pout in Blaine's voice when he whined, resenting the fact that he could just kiss it away as he would have done had he been talking to Blaine in person.

"You know you can be such a child sometimes?" Kurt teased him, grinning when he heard Blaine huff on the other end of the line.

"_You love it though_."

"That I do," Kurt glanced into the staffroom to see Rory, Tina and Rachel all chatting around their regular table, Rachel seemingly staring at her two colleagues in disbelief whilst Rory and a slightly-more-chipper Tina seemed to assure her that whatever they were saying was true. Rory spotted him and perked up, waving him over and therefore diverting the attention the two women to look over to him as well. Rachel was glaring at him, open-mouthed, whilst Rory and Tina continued to wave at him, grinning widely. Kurt held up a finger and pointed to his phone that was still pressed against his ear, signalling for them to wait for him to finish his phone call. "I think I have to go," He told Blaine reluctantly. "Rachel, Rory and Tina seem to be demanding my presence. Sorry."

"_Don't worry about it,_" Blaine assured him, the smallest hint of disappointment at their conversation finishing so soon only just detectable. "_I have things I have to do before tonight anyway, so… I'll see you later, yeah?_"

"Yeah, I'll see you later," Kurt bit his lip before adding, "I love you."

"_I love you, too,_" Was Blaine's inevitable reply. "_So much_." Kurt was a little taken aback at the addition to Blaine's declaration, but grinned even wider when the words sunk in.

"Bye, Blaine."

"_Bye, Kurt_." Kurt bit back another 'I love you' before hanging up, holding his phone in his hand and debating whether to call Blaine straight back again before remembering how Blaine had said he had things to do and recalling the beckoning waves Rory and Tina had given him. He sighed heavily as he slipped his phone back into his pant pocket before turning and entering the staffroom, almost jumping out of his skin when Rachel Berry seemed to appear from nowhere at his side.

"Kurt Hummel, you have some explaining to do."

* * *

Blaine bit his lip as he slipped his phone back into his pocket, positively beaming as he went back inside the office next to him. "Sorry about that," He smiled, sitting back down in the chair he'd been previously sat in. "Kurt" was all he needed to say by way of an explanation, the only other person in the room nodding in understanding before returning back to their previous conversation.

"So you're saying that _both_ of these occasions are _completely_ necessary?" Sue narrowed her eyes, scowling slightly at Blaine, trying to decipher whether he was telling the truth – or if he truly was the brilliant actor she'd hired him for being.

"_Definitely_," Blaine nodded strongly, his eyes not leaving Sue's as if to emphasise his point. "The friend whose party I'm going to on Saturday is _incredibly_ important to me, and I'd never forgive myself if I didn't go. I also think it would be a good opportunity for Trent seeing as I've barely had a night off in the past couple of weeks: I'm not saying he's _bad_ or especially _needs_ the practice, but he hasn't done a night as Tony in a while." Sue eyed him closely for a few seconds before nodding , keeping her face emotion-free.

"And what about tonight?" She asked gruffly after a moment's silence. "Don't tell me; your long lost cousin has come back into town all of a sudden and you would just _never forgive yourself if you didn't go_." She mocked Blaine's earlier choice of words, leering at him from the other side of her large, oak desk.

"No," Blaine chuckled softly, dismissing the accusation with a wave of his hand. "Nothing like that. I actually… I'm planning a- a date." Sue frowned at him, but her curiosity was piqued.

"You're planning a date?" She tilted her head slightly, her deadly gaze boring into Blaine's hazel eyes.

"Y-yeah," Blaine looked down to his hands, slotting them together between his forefinger and thumb. "M-my boyfriend and I, we haven't really been on a proper date, so I wanted to surprise him tonight when he got home from work." Blaine felt like a child explaining himself to Sue, his voice quiet and timid under her watchful gaze.

They sat in silence for a while, Blaine's whole face and neck burning as he stared at the floor, waiting for Sue, who was still staring at him, to give him an answer.

"Okay then," Sue said suddenly, Blaine's head snapping up to stare at her in disbelief; he'd figured he'd be able to get away with having Saturday off, considering that he was asking well in advance, but he had seriously doubted his chances about being able to get that night off on such short notice. "But no more days off for at least a week." It wasn't an offer that was open for negotiation it was take it or leave it. Blaine chose the 'take it' option.

"Thanks, Sue," He flashed her his best suave smile before raising out of his chair and leaving the office. As soon as the door was shut behind him he heaved a huge sigh of relief, taking a few moments to collect himself before making to leave the theatre. Sue's office was situated around the corner from the main dressing rooms – such as Blaine's – and so it didn't take long for Blaine to head back there just to make sure he'd locked his door, considering he wouldn't be there to guard it from Santana's unannounced visits that night.

He hadn't expected anyone else to be there so early before the show, and so when a voice called out behind him he span himself round in panic, his eyes wide and almost petrified.

"BEEBEE!" Blaine relaxed at the sight of Sugar, but had to steady his whole body as she nearly tackled him to the floor.

"Hey, Sugar," Blaine laughed into her hair, catching her in his arms.

"Congratulations, by the way!" She beamed, pulling away from him and smoothing down her clothes once her feet regained contact with the carpeted corridor floor.

"What for?"

"Your _boyfriend_, silly!" She playfully smacked him on the arm, rolling her eyes. "I heard the news this morning." Her eyes shone as she beamed brightly up at him.

"H-how?" Blaine's heart hammered in his chest – he and Kurt hadn't exactly talked about whether they were going to tell people yet, and quite frankly he was pretty impressed that he'd gotten it around their friends so quickly.

"Well, I met this guy called Rory at the weekend," Sugar explained, her eyes glazing over slightly at the memory. "And I found out that he works at NADA-"

"_NYADA_." Blaine corrected. She waved him off with her hand.

"But I didn't really think about the fact that it meant he worked with Kurt until this morning. Anyway, I mentioned you when I met him and he remembered you from Kurt talking about you," Blaine's heart practically leapt out of his chest with pride, his face threatening to split in half if he smiled any wider. "And I remembered Kurt from the few times he's come by and we had a little discussion about you two. And so, when Kurt told him that you two were boyfriend's now Rory texted me so that I could spread the news!"

Blaine's eyes widened, opening his mouth to protest only to shut it again. A million and one thoughts rushed through his brain, but only one really stood out to him. "How _exactly_ did you spread the news?"

"I sent a mass text, of course!" Sugar giggled happily, clapping her hands softly.

"Hey Pony," Santana's unmistakable drawl came from further down the corridor over Blaine's shoulder, Blaine instantly picking up on the smugness that was present in her tone of voice. He blushed slightly, already dreading the bombardment of comments that would be directed his way highlighting the sexual side of his and Kurt's relationship that he would have to bear over the coming weeks.

"You used that one last week," Blaine turned to her, crossing his arms across his chest. "You're losing your sass, San." Santana looked unimpressed, jutting her hip to the side as she put her hands on her hips.

"Well, I was going to call you 'Wanky' but I figured your new boyfriend's going to make sure you don't need to do that anymore." She smirked and let herself into her dressing room, Blaine stood gaping at her as she disappeared.

"Ouch…" Sugar teased behind him, making Blaine flush an even deeper shade of red. He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his curls, getting ready to make his excuses.

"I need to go," He blurted out, taking a step towards the exit before firing a quick goodbye to Sugar over his shoulder.

Outside the theatre Blaine groaned in frustration, but at least if everybody knew tonight while he wasn't there he wouldn't have to face the jokes and the comments until tomorrow. He checked his watch; he had five and a half hours to go until Kurt was due home at five, and so he headed off to fulfill the rest of his plans.

* * *

Kurt let himself into the apartment just as the clock in the kitchen signalled seventeen minutes past five. He threw his keys lazily onto the countertop, shrugging off his jacket and toeing off his shoes with a heavy sigh. He'd been interrogated heavily by Rachel during break, and was unfortunate enough to have a free period at the same time as she did, leading to another hour long grilling by the short brunette. He just wanted to curl up on the sofa and wait for Blaine to come home so that he could fall into the shorter man's strong embrace and discuss their respective days in hushed tones as they snuggled together in bed. Just the thought of it made his spine tingle, the anticipation almost too much to bear as he trudged towards the living room – and the sofas that would allow him to take the weight off his feet.

He didn't reach the loungers though, for out of the corner of his eye he noticed someone stood in the entrance to the hallway as he passed it. Stalling for a few seconds, Kurt turned on his heel to see Blaine beaming at him, his hands tucked behind his back.

Kurt allowed his gaze to rake up and down his boyfriend's body, taking in the sleek black pants that encased his legs; the crisp, short-sleeved red shirt that hugged his torso and strong arms; the skinny back tie around his neck and in his un-gelled curly mop of hair.

"Blaine?" His voice came out higher than he'd expected, and he flushed bright red.

"Hey," Blaine smiled softly, his voice gentle as he stepped towards Kurt, keeping his hands hidden behind his back. "How was your day?"

"I- Fine," All of Kurt's previous exasperations about his day simply melting away when he saw Blaine gazing at him with eyes full of love and adoration. "W-what are you doing here?" Blaine grinned, laughing quietly to himself.

"How did I know that would be the first thing you'd ask me?" He leant against the wall smugly, his eyes shining.

"Aren't you supposed to be working? Blaine, I told you I didn't want you getting into trouble-"

"It's no trouble at all," Blaine was still leaning against the wall, keeping his hands well hidden. He paused for a few seconds, giving Kurt the opportunity to reprimand him again before continuing when the taller man stayed silent, watching him with a steady gaze. "I wanted to surprise you," He began to explain.

"Well, you did that, alright," Kurt interjected, folding his arms across his chest and letting out a snort of laughter. Blaine laughed.

"I meant it when I said we'd figure something out about not being able to see each other," He brought his hands forward, revealing two small envelopes. He glanced down at them for a second before holding them out for Kurt to take. Kurt took them slowly, asking a thousand questions with his eyes but Blaine just smiled hesitantly in return.

Kurt turned the envelopes over in his hand, noticing the writing on the other side. One read, '_Open this one first…_' the other, '…_And then this one second._' The first envelope held two tickets to _Phantom_, and Kurt squealed in delight when they fell out into his hand. Blaine watched on, laughing at Kurt's reaction and feeling his heart swell, thinking to himself about whether he could possibly love Kurt any more than he did right now.

The second contained a small collection photographs, all of Kurt and Blaine. The first few were of them during their younger years, including the one of them on Blaine's birthday that Kurt had found in said actor's dressing room all those weeks ago and the one of them in the swimming pool that Blaine had shown him on that eventful Sunday. There was a third that Kurt hadn't seen before; it was him and Blaine during the only Christmas they had spent together, the picture taken from behind them as the two of them walked hand in glove-clad hand in the snow down their street. Kurt couldn't remember where they had been going, but he didn't exactly care; the picture was beautiful, the serenity of the whole image amplified by their childhood innocence. Kurt then gazed upon the next few photos; ones of him and Blaine since they had come into each other's lives again. There was the one Rachel had taken of them when they'd moved in together, which Kurt knew for a fact Blaine had a copy of on the wall in his dressing room; another of them with Rachel and Finn that had been taken at Puck's, the celebratory drinks that followed them getting all of Blaine's things unpacked; one of them laying together in Central Park that Rachel had taken, Kurt using Blaine as a pillow as he read a book in the afternoon sun, Blaine snoozing with his arms crossed behind his head. Kurt grinned at the sight of all of them, gazing up at Blaine.

"I have a few more of us," Blaine explained, looking at the photos in Kurt's hand. "But these ones were my favourites. I thought we could maybe put them all together, like a collage or something. Frame it, maybe?" He looked up at Kurt with hopeful eyes, taking Kurt's hands in his in a way that didn't crumple the pictures or tickets in his hands. Kurt nodded tearfully, laughing at himself and how emotional he was getting.

"I'd like that," He whispered, shyly smiling at his and Blaine's hands together. He looked up to see Blaine grinning at him, both of their gazes dropping down to the other's lips briefly before they instinctively leant together, allowing their mouths to join in a sweet, tender kiss that both of them had been longing for all day. "W-when do we have to, uh, go?" Kurt panted slightly, his mouth only just away from Blaine's as he gestured to the tickets in his hands.

"Show starts at seven," Blaine replied, equally as breathless, opening his eyes to reveal the tell-tale darkness of pure _lust_. "I put together a few outfits for you, to save you time," He admitted a little sheepishly, stepping away and leading Kurt to his bedroom by the hand. "I don't know if you'll like them, but you can always mix them up… Or you could just create a completely new outfit, I don't mind. I won't be offended-"

"Blaine," Kurt pulled Blaine back by his hand, stopping the shorter man mid-ramble and bringing him close. Blaine looked up at him expectantly. "You really are the best boyfriend, you know?" Blaine flushed bright red, beaming at the compliment. Kurt leant down and kissed him, this time tracing his tongue along Blaine's bottom lip, asking for entry. Blaine responded immediately, parting his lips and allowing Kurt's tongue into his mouth.

When a small moan escaped Blaine's lips, Kurt dropped the papers in his hands and pulled his boyfriend closer, tangling his fingers in Blaine's dark curls. Blaine was just as eager, his fingers slipping into the belt loops of Kurt's pants and pulling their hips together, both of them groaning at the friction it caused. In a tangle of limbs and clashing mouths, they stumbled down the hall towards Kurt's open bedroom door, falling onto the bed just as Kurt began an assault on Blaine's neck.

Blaine hissed underneath him, writhing slightly; an action that only spurred Kurt on more. "Kurt…" He whimpered quietly, shifting his hips again. "Kurt, s-stop."

"You don't mean that," Kurt growled against the exposed skin on Blaine's neck, returning to nipping along his jaw.

"N-no, I do…" Blaine whimpered again, sounding as if he was in pain. Kurt immediately pulled away, searching his boyfriend's face in concern. Blaine was wriggling on the bed, seemingly trying to pull something out from underneath his back. Kurt shifted backwards, taking some of his weight off of his boyfriend and allowing him to sit up properly. Blaine finally managed to pull out a black leather belt, the buckle of which had been digging into the base of his spine. He looked from the belt to Kurt. Both of them blinked a few times before bursting out laughing, Blaine half-heartedly throwing the belt to the floor with a soft _thud_.

Kurt looked about them, noticing the outfits Blaine had mentioned laying across his bed, most of them having been crumpled under their bodies. "I should get ready, shouldn't I?" Kurt asked, still sat in Blaine's lap with his boyfriend's hands now holding him close around his waist.

Blaine bit his lip and nodded, still smirking. "Yeah, you probably should," Kurt admired how flustered he was, his cheeks rosy and his hair a little more tousled than usual. "I'll get the tickets and the pictures," He kissed Kurt softly on the lips, keeping it quick to avoid getting carried away again. Kurt rolled off his lap onto the bed, watching him leave the room. "And you get changed. Love you." He added as he walked out the room, smiling over his shoulder.

"Love you." Kurt replied, already having shrugged off his waistcoat and starting to undo his shirt buttons.

* * *

**Forgot to say earlier - like the last chapter of True Colours, this chapter is un-betafied, which means I'm more nervous than usual about uploading this because I don't have anyone to reassure me that it's okay...**

**C xx**


	31. First Date Part Two

**OHMYGOD I'M SO SORRY. **

**This was meant to be up a good hour ago, but my laptop decided to freak out and not allow me to use the internet. Luckily I am blessed to know RainySunnyEnding, who has helped me through this tough time with technology.**

**This is the second part of Klaine's first date, and it's _defeinitely_ the smuttiest I've written, but I have been assured that it is tasteful :) It turns more into an emotional development for their relationship rather than the physical - you'll understand when you read it :)**

**Thank you all for bearing with me - I feel so terrible that I couldn't upload this sooner!**

**C xx**

* * *

_Phantom_ was everything Kurt had expected it to be, and more. He'd only ever seen the film, the one with Gerard Butler as Erik, and so the stage performance took his breath away; he found himself singing along to most of the songs, sometimes too wrapped up in the performance to join in, and weeping at the particularly emotional scenes between Christine and the Phantom himself. A few sneaky glances at Blaine whilst trying to subtly wipe his eyes showed that he was not alone, Blaine's honey eyes glistening in the dim light.

As the music began for _All I Ask Of You_, Christine and Raoul on the rooftop of the theatre and a light dusting of snow falling down around them, Blaine held onto Kurt's hand a little tighter, his thumb stroking it softly as he gazed at the two figures on the stage.

Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand back in return, turning back to the stage just as the words began.

* * *

"Did you _see_ her dress? Oh, Blaine it was beautiful! And the staging! All those candles! Oh, and Phantom's voice? Urgh, he was _so_ good!" Kurt was babbling at breakneck speed as he and Blaine wandered hand in hand together back towards their apartment, Blaine grinning at Kurt's enthusiasm and watching him with complete adoration as he swung their joined hands between their bodies.

* * *

Kurt was still chattering excitedly at a hundred miles a minute when Blaine pushed his key into the lock of their apartment, pulling his boyfriend inside. As soon as the door was shut behind them, Blaine grabbed Kurt's face and kissed him hard, pushing him back against the door. Kurt made a slightly strangled sound as Blaine cut him off mid-sentence, but recovered from his initial shock as Blaine demonstrated a better use for his tongue than his current excitable blabbering. Blaine's tongue was already pressing against Kurt's lips, eliciting a small moan from the taller man, as one hand slowly moved into Kurt's hair, the other trailing down the front of Kurt's chest and fisting the fabric of his shirt.

Kurt granted his boyfriend entry, parting his lips slightly to greet Blaine's tongue eagerly with his own, which earnt him a soft, breathless moan from the other man. Blaine pulled back after what was probably just under a minute but only felt like a few delicious seconds and rested his head against Kurt's forehead, his eyes fluttering open after a moment's hesitation to gaze up at Kurt with lust-blown pupils through long, dark lashes.

"Sorry," he laughed breathlessly. "I couldn't think of any other way to shut you up."

Kurt shook his head softly, so little so that it was barely noticeable. He gazed back at Blaine, his glasz eyes still a little wide with shock, and whispered, "I forgive you" before pulling Blaine back in to finish what his boyfriend had started. He wondered just _when_ his hands had found their way up Blaine's arms, over his strong shoulders and into his wild curls, but was quickly distracted by Blaine's hands slipping inside his open jacket to push it off his shoulders. Kurt let his hands drop for a second, desperately keeping his mouth latched onto Blaine's as his coat slipped off his arms and fell to the floor. As soon as Kurt heard the satisfying _thud_ of the material hitting the floor his hands were back on his boyfriend, fumbling with the buttons on Blaine's jacket and getting it to its rightful place on the floor as quickly as he could.

Kurt felt Blaine's hands slide from his waist to his hips, pulling their bodies closer together. The friction was unbearable; both boys were already becoming hard, and with their relationship officialised there was no reason for either of them to hide it. Blaine slipped his left leg between both of Kurt's as he softly pushed his boyfriend back against the door, allowing his erection to press against Kurt's thigh. Kurt moaned and bit down on Blaine's lower lip, arching his back to push his hips forward and making sure that Blaine knew he wasn't alone in his arousal.

"Bedroom," Kurt swallowed, his breathing quickening as Blaine began to suck and nip at his neck. "_Now_." He added when Blaine didn't move. Blaine made a noise of acknowledgement before taking a step back, grabbing onto Kurt's hips and pulling him along with him. They made it down the hall and to Kurt's bedroom in a tangle of limbs and a succession of moans, occasionally pushing the other up against a wall to gain a little bit of extra support when the friction going on below the belt almost made their knees buckle.

They finally reached Kurt's room, the brunet pushing the darker-haired man backwards through the open door and pushing him onto the bed. Blaine bounced rather unceremoniously onto the mattress, but Kurt was back on him in a second, one hand next to Blaine's head supporting him as he leant over his boyfriend, nearly five weeks' worth of lust and pure _want_ teeming through his body. His other hand gripped onto the material of Blaine's shirt just below the actor's shoulder, his knee slotting in between Blaine's thighs on the edge of the mattress whilst his other foot stayed on the floor to support him.

Blaine's arms were snaked around Kurt's torso, sliding between Kurt's hair and his hips. There was so much of the slender body in his arms that he wanted to explore that he was spoilt for choice on where to start, but if the noises that Kurt was making were anything to go by, Blaine was pretty sure that the paler man didn't mind one bit.

And then Kurt's right hand was travelling lower, hesitating every few seconds to feel the well-toned chest and stomach underneath the thin layer of material in his hands. Each graze of Kurt's hand against his chest had Blaine shivering in anticipation, and when Kurt skilfully undid a few buttons one-handed and slipped his hand inside, Blaine whined for more, arching his back up to press his crotch deeper into Kurt's leg.

It was when Kurt started palming him through his pants that Blaine's eyes snapped open, and he could feel that same anxious feeling he got when he was a teenager beginning to bubble up in his stomach. Of course he wanted to continue but he couldn't push down the feeling; his body was screaming yes yet his head was screaming for him to stop. Kurt's hand was gathering speed, both boys rutting their hips against each other and brokenly moaning at the delicious friction it caused. Blaine pushed down his earlier hesitation, putting it down to nerves after having not _been with someone_ for a good few months, considering how he and Sebastian had barely slept in the same bed nearing the end of their relationship, let alone actually _doing_ anything together.

_No_, he thought harshly, inwardly slapping himself. _This is not the time to think about that useless, cheating, slimy little bastard. Now is the time to think about Kurt. Kurt and his amazing body… the one that's in your hands right now. Yes, think about Kurt_.

* * *

When Blaine had pushed Kurt up against the door and kissed him, Kurt had been shocked, yes, but he'd also been undeniably turned on. He was hesitant at first, wondering if things were going too fast for him and Blaine. Sure, he'd been in love with the guy for over a month before actually telling him, and they hadn't had the most orthodox of starts, but was it too soon to turn things physical?

It didn't take long for Blaine's tongue to distract him, his hands also playing a major part in dragging Kurt away from his worried thoughts. Kurt cursed himself for easily he could get riled up, especially if the man doing the riling happened to be drop-dead gorgeous and unbelievably sexy like Blaine. But when Blaine started to react more eagerly, not pulling away from things Kurt had worried were too forward for them at such a tender stage of their relationship, he found himself able to relax fully, his mind being carried away by the teasing, tempting hands of lust and anticipation.

If Blaine wanted this, who was Kurt to deny him?

The fact that Kurt hadn't had any in just over five months had nothing to do with it. Of course, it was so…. freeing to be able to let all of the tension that had been building up inside of him out, finally, but it meant so much more considering that it was with Blaine – the man he truly believed to be his soul mate.

But this tension was going to be released standing up – the only solution was a horizontal one. Namely, on his bed. He was sure that he must have acquired some bruises along the way, especially one on his shoulder when he knocked into the corner of the wall before stumbling down the corridor with Blaine towards his room.

It took all of Kurt's self-control not to pounce on Blaine and tear his clothes off of him when he saw him lying on his bed, his clothes rumpled and his lips swollen red from all of the hungry kissing they'd done, not to mention when Kurt had bitten Blaine's bottom lip in a moment of pure passion. He tried to go slow, to give Blaine the time to back out if he wanted to, but his hands took on a mind of their own and found themselves under Blaine's shirt, and then over his crotch. Kurt could feel his whole length through the material of his pants, and he could honestly say that he was _not_ disappointed.

Everything was heating up, from their touches to their kisses – both of which were becoming sloppier by the second. And so it was one of the most terrifying moments of Kurt's life when Blaine spoke.

* * *

"Wait."

Blaine wasn't even sure if he'd planned on saying it, but the word was out of his mouth before his brain could register that his lips weren't on Kurt's any longer. He opened his eyes to see Kurt lying on top of him, his hand between their bodies, staring at him with wide, panicked eyes. Blaine stared back at him for a few seconds before he suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable, his command causing an awkward silence to fall upon them. He shuffled backwards, pulling his body out from underneath Kurt's, and suddenly felt sick with nerves.

Why _did you say anything? Now you have to explain yourself._

"I-Is everything okay?" Kurt asked quietly, sitting back on his heels and biting his swollen lip. He looked terrified, and Blaine realised that he probably couldn't have chosen a worse time. Now Kurt probably thought he had freaked Blaine out by pushing him too far or something, and that definitely wasn't the case. Blaine had been willing, for _all_ of it, but now he just found himself wanting to… talk.

He nodded dumbly, his dry throat incapacitating his ability to speak.

"Did- Did _I_ do something?" Kurt's voice wavered slightly, his glasz eyes filling with confused tears in a matter of seconds.

"No, no! It wasn't you, I swear!" Blaine protested, shaking his head violently as he found his voice. He sat up and moved over the bed towards Kurt, brushing his arm with his fingertips, not sure if holding him would be entirely appropriate right now. "I just… I don't know." He sighed heavily, dropping back to sit cross-legged and putting his head in his hands, wincing when the material of his pants strained against his still lingering hard-on. He shuffled to rearrange himself, constantly aware that Kurt was still watching him with a panicked expression.

"…Blaine?" Kurt's soft voice was then right next to him, a dip in the mattress showing that Kurt had inched forwards so that he could lay a reassuring hand on Blaine's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," He whispered, feeling the familiar sting of tears in his eyes. He had to tell Kurt the truth to his freaking out, otherwise it could completely jeopardise their relationship. Surely, Kurt would understand? "I think I just- I don't want to rush things with you." He blurted out, screwing his eyes shut and waiting for Kurt's reaction.

"What do you mean?" Kurt's voice was so soft and caring that Blaine almost cried there and then.

"I love you, Kurt, and I don't want to go too far too soon. I know you wanted this too, but I started panicking because I haven't been with anyone since Sebastian and I don't know if I'm ready to go to that stage of a relationship again. Oh god, I sound like a pathetic, wimpy teenager don't I?"

"No, no, I understand," Kurt soothed him, hugging his shoulders with one arm and placing the other on his knee reassuringly. Blaine didn't find this fair one bit – how could Kurt be so understanding in a situation like this? Blaine had basically just rejected him and then broken down into tears, and Kurt wasn't calling him frigid and storming out – he was _comforting_ him. Blaine knew which one Sebastian would have done if he'd done this during their relationship.

_Again? Why are you thinking of that slimy git? Forget him, Blaine._

"You do?" Blaine sniffed, looking up at his boyfriend for the first time since he'd shuffled away. Kurt smiled softly and nodded in the dark, before frowning and looking around him. Without a word he stood and moved across the room, flicking the light on and causing both men to wince at the sudden brightness. Blaine dug the heels of his hands into his eyes to try and clear them, and when he took them away Kurt was next to him again.

"Yes," He stated, smiling at his boyfriend. "I understand. We don't have to do anything you don't want to, Blaine."

"But that's the thing – I _do_ want it!" Blaine threw his hands up in the air in frustration, letting them drop into his lap again as he heaved another sigh. "And what about what you want?" He turned to Kurt and saw a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

"This is a two way relationship, Blaine," He told him quietly. "But if you're that concerned, I want you to be safe and comfortable… And I can always sort myself out." He added with a cheeky wink, easing the tension by giving them both something to laugh at together.

"I'm pretty sure that's my job, being your boyfriend and all." Blaine wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before laughing again. He hadn't really been the flirty type when he was younger, sticking to the romantic gestures and slight brushes of fingertips with his boyfriends before Sebastian. After finding out that Sebastian liked the more forward, suggestive type of flirting, Blaine had pushed himself to be more confident in his desperate need to be with the man he'd crushed on since Dalton. And so now, joining in with Kurt's suggestive banter, he could laugh at himself for being so comfortable with it, knowing that if he hadn't given himself that little push all those years ago he probably wouldn't have had the confidence to get up on stage and act. It was an all-round, beneficial move.

Kurt smiled warmly at him, and suddenly the heated atmosphere from earlier had dissipated. The sexual atmosphere had gone, leaving them open to just be with each other. Obviously they had to keep to themselves for a while, allowing themselves time to cool off before cuddling together as they sat against Kurt's headboard. With Blaine's head rested on Kurt's shoulder, the taller man's right arm around his shoulders and his left holding Blaine's right, they sat and talked about their past relationships. Blaine was done rather quickly, mentioning a few boyfriends from his shyer times – Rick, Adam and George – before Sebastian's name cropped up. Blaine didn't need to say much here – nor did he want to – because Kurt knew most of it anyway.

"What about you?" Blaine looked up to Kurt, his hazel-honey eyes large with honesty and expectation – if he could go over his romantic history, so could Kurt. "What's your magic number?" He nudged Kurt playfully with his shoulder, grinning. Kurt rolled his eyes and sighed playfully. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"Well…"

* * *

**The next chapter will be Kurt delving into his past relationships, which I guess is going to be kind of fun for me to write :) I might get Blaine to elaborate too, but I doubt it as his only important relationship was Sebastian, and we already know all about that :)**

**Reviews are free? ;) **

**Xx**


	32. Rachel's Party Part A

**Hey guys! Ohmygod I haven't updated this story in nearly two months! I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update this, but I'm glad to say that now I have written this chapter I have a good idea of how the next few chapters are going to go. So have you all been? I've missed uploading and writing and everything that comes along with it so much, and I am very glad to be back! **

**Now I don't know when the next chapter of this story will be up, but I'm hoping to write chapter ten of True Colours by the end of the week. I'm actually at school right now, cheekily uploading this on my friend's iPad. We have a whole day off timetable, so I shall most likely spend the majority of my day writing notes and such about my two stories. Who knows, I may even write a Drabble or a one shot if I find the time (of course I'll find the time, it's more finding the effort with me). **

**Now onto the chapter; I know this was meant to be a chapter all about Kurt's ex-boyfriends, land I am still writing that chapter but its incredibly long and after so much time away from my writing I really wanted to get back to the story. I'm hoping to upload the long chapter of flashbacks at some point, but for now there will just be references to the previous men in Kurt's life. I hope you guys don't mind and that you will just go with me on this one. **

**Also, so I know Rachel's birthday is meant to be the 18****th**** December, but just roll with me on this one. I'm not giving a specific date here, but I'm going to say that her birthday is maybe March/April time (Kurt's birthday is staying in May, and I didn't want the two events too close together). Cool? Cool. This is Rachel's Party Part A :) Enjoy xxxx**

* * *

Blaine awoke to a pair of strong arms around his waist, a hand over his with the fingers entwined. Breathing in deeply, he could smell Kurt's cologne despite the fact that he was facing away from his boyfriend, and a small smile crept onto his lips. Keeping his eyes shut, he pulled Kurt's arm tighter around him, like a child does a blanket, before snuggling into the pillow that he was sleeping on. The scent that greeted him was a combination of his and Kurt's colognes due to the fact that they both preferred Kurt's bed over Blaine's, meaning that they normally slept in Kurt's room. A few nights had passed since their first 'date night', when Blaine had taken Kurt to see the Phantom of the Opera, and neither of them had tried to take anything too far since then. There were still the lazy kisses in the morning before Kurt went to work and the stolen midnight snuggles when Blaine returned from the theatre, but their still-conflicting schedules meant that they didn't have time for much else. It was on the weekends, however, that they were able to spend a considerable amount of time together.

Today was a Saturday, which meant that Kurt didn't have to go to work at all and Blaine normally wouldn't be needed until twelve. Turning over in his boyfriend's arms, Blaine allowed himself to gaze over Kurt's sleeping face before placing a gentle peck to the corner of his mouth. Kurt turned his head slightly towards the contact as Blaine trailed kisses along his cheekbone, lips gently caressing his features in what was Blaine's way of rousing his boyfriend from sleep. Kurt cracked one eye open and immediately his smile grew at the sight before him; Blaine, with his tousled curls and a slight hint of stubble along his jawline, gazing down at him with warm, loving, hazel eyes and a dopey morning-smile on his lips.

"Morning," Kurt blinked a few times, trying to resist the sudden urge to yawn and failing. He turned his face away from Blaine and hid behind his hands, playfully batting Blaine's away when they tried to creep around his waist again.

"Aww, did I wake you up too early, sweetie?" Blaine teased as he nuzzled his face into Kurt's neck, cuddling up next to him with an arm across his chest. Kurt grunted in agreement, making Blaine laugh and his breath tickled the sensitive skin below Kurt's ear, and glanced over at the bedside table. _09:18_, it read. _Good, that's another 3 hours until we have to leave for Rachel's…_ Kurt thought to himself, his eyes slowly slipping shut in contented serenity as a hand crept up to tangle itself in Blaine's curls, the other holding onto the arm across his chest.

"I could just lie here forever," Blaine mumbled, his voice already heavy again with sleep, followed by a relaxed sigh. Kurt's eyes had gently opened at the sound of Blaine's voice, and once the word 'forever' had passed his boyfriend's lips his minds whirred into action, flashing images at him of what could be if the dream became reality.

_A house in the suburbs… A flash of- what was that? An engagement ring?... The distant sound of wedding bells… Bright eyes accompanied by the musical tinkling of a child laughing…_

"Me too," He finally replied, even though Blaine's breathing had levelled out a while ago. Even so, the words meant just as much to him when spoken into the silence of his room than if they had fallen upon the ears of who they were intended for.

* * *

"…_You make me  
Feel like I'm living' a  
Teenage Dream,  
The way you turn me on…"_

Kurt had to repress a growl as he was awoken by the alarm on Blaine's phone. He had only agreed to it because Blaine had the most adorable pleading face, but now he was starting to _deeply_ regret it. It wasn't the song choice – Katy Perry was one of his favourite artists, and he still owned all of his copies of her CDs from his teenage years, as well as the more recent ones – it was just the sheer _volume_ of it.

"_...I can't sleep_-"

"You're telling me," he grumbled, grabbing Blaine's phone and switching off the alarm. He let the phone drop back down onto the table, but in his just-woken state his aim was slightly out, causing the phone to clatter over the edge and onto the carpeted floor below. "Oh, for God's sake..."

Rolling over to reach down the side of the bed, Kurt ended up lying across Blaine's stomach as he let out a frustrated groan. Blaine's phone had disappeared under the bed but looking for it properly would mean getting out from under the warmth of the covers, and so Kurt resorted to fumbling around blindly as he tried to keep his balance.

"Well, this is _definitely_ the best way to wake up." Kurt squeaked in surprise at the sound of the voice next to him and nearly fell head-first onto the rug. He put his hand out to brace his fall, using the other to grip onto the bed sheets, but his hand barely brushed the floor before he was being hauled back up.

"What were you doing down there?" Blaine asked, an amused, mischievous grin teasing at his lips.

"I dropped your phone when I turned your alarm off, and I was trying to find it but it went under the bed." Kurt felt like a scolded child and bowed his head, Blaine still with his hands on Kurt's biceps from where he'd saved him from falling. He wasn't really sure what else to say other than "Sorry."

"Hey," A finger under Kurt's chin tilted his head up, and Kurt was met with a pair of warm honey-hazel eyes gazing directly into his. "You never have to apologise to me for anything." Blaine kissed his forehead gently, lips lingering for a few seconds before he looked back down into Kurt's ocean-blue eyes. "_Especially_ for the way you were just lying across me."

* * *

"Blaine, let me go!" Kurt exclaimed, giggling as he tried to struggle out of his boyfriend's grip.

"No!" Blaine cried back, maintaining his hold around Kurt's waist and pulling him back into bed. Kurt ended up lying on top of him, his back to Blaine's chest, laughing freely as his hands relaxed around Blaine's rather than trying to prise them apart. "Stay in bed with me." he murmured as he placed feather-light kisses to the back of Kurt's neck. Kurt's insides melted, his limbs momentarily turning to jelly until he remembered exactly _why_ he had to get out of bed. Or, why _both_ of them did.

"I'd love to," he started, feeling Blaine's triumphant grin against his skin. He waited until Blaine relaxed his grip, satisfied and victorious, before rolling out of his grip and jumping out of his reach. "But we have a party to get to."

* * *

Checking his reflection in the mirror one last time, he stepped out of the bathroom.

"How do I look?" He asked, spreading him arms out wide and slowly turning in a full circle on the spot. When he had completed a single turn he stopped, dropping his arms as his eyes automatically locking onto the deep brown eyes that now gazed lovingly upon him.

A small smile slowly crept onto Rachel's lips, its intensity increasing with every second that passed. "Fantastic," she finally grinned, rushing up and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Absolutely fantastic," she whispered before pressing her lips to Finn's, rising onto her toes to reach him. Finn embraced her, arms carefully around her waist so as not to crease her summer dress. Keeping his hold around her, Finn pulled away and gazed down at his fiancée: in that moment he felt so unbelievably lucky that this gorgeous woman, with her exuberant personality and contagious excitement, returned his undying love for her, although he doubted that she would ever be able to comprehend just how much of his heart she had stolen – and that was all of it. Rachel gazed up at him through her mascaraed lashes, a hesitant smile on her lips. "Aren't you going to tell me how pretty I look?"

Finn beamed down at her, taking her by the hand and twirling her around. She giggled lightly as he pulled her back into his arms, dipped her backwards like the elaborate end to a ballroom dance and whispered "you're perfect" before reattaching his lips to hers. Running his tongue along her bottom lip, he pulled back surprised.

"What's wrong?" Rachel was watching his face worriedly with eyes filled with concern, nervously biting the lip that Finn had been caressing just seconds before. Finn licked his lips, confirming his suspicions to be true.

"You taste like cherries," he said simply, a wide grin breaking out across his face. Rachel's shoulders dropped in relief as a light dusting of a blush spread across her cheeks, a matching smile gracing her features. She nodded, cupping Finn's cheek with her hand. "My favourite." he whispered as he pulled his fiancée closer to him, wishing that there was a higher level of closeness than their bodies being flush together.

"Your favourite," Rachel muttered with a smile as their lips brushed together before offering Finn another taste in the form of a kiss.

"Is everything ready, d'you reckon?" Finn asked her when they pulled apart, glancing around their apartment. For the majority of the morning, the two of them had been rearranging furniture to offer more space whilst still supplying seating and adding delicate touches. Rachel had been serious when she had told Kurt that she didn't want an elaborate birthday, which is why she had not invited him over to help her set up.

"I think so," she answered with a satisfied smile, still keeping her arms linked around Finn's neck. She took one last glance around the apartment before turning back to Finn, carefully nestling into his chest without smudging her make-up or getting any on his white button-down. "Thank you," She murmured.

"What for?" Finn enquired just as quietly, placing a kiss on the top of her head as he embraced her.

"For everything; for this morning," Both of them smiled fondly at how Finn had awoken Rachel with a gentle kiss before spoiling her to breakfast in bed and gifts, including the gold heart pendant that hung around her neck. "For loving me; for putting up with me all these years; for supporting me; caring for me." She took a shaky breath, blinking back the tears that threatened to draw black lines down over her cheeks. "Thank you for everything."

Finn stayed silent for a while, choosing his next words through the cloud of emotion that descended on his mind. "I should be thanking _you_," He admitted, resting his cheek on the top of Rachel's head. From here he could smell the sweet, strawberry-scented aroma of Rachel's shampoo; a smell that immediately made his heart all giddy no matter where he smelt it.

"Why?" Finn tilted his head slightly to take in the scent again before responding.

"For letting me do all of that."

They held each other silently, allowing the moments to pass them by. As a couple, Finn and Rachel prided themselves on living in the present, not allowing the past to hold them back nor the bright lights of the future to blind them. But there were the occasional moments, such as this, where they would let their minds wander hand-in-hand down memory lane through all of their combined memories that made them the people they were today. When they reached present day, they would subconsciously hold the other just that little bit tighter, before looking out over the path that was steadily being laid before them.

They were already one step down that path - the engagement ring on Rachel's finger was evident proof of that – and they were planning on taking the next step before the year was out. Already, Rachel and Finn were in discussion of venues and flowers and colour schemes, albeit only just venturing onto the borders of details.

The other steps had been discussed – buying a house and making it Home, starting a family and having children – but never in such close proximity to it becoming a possibility. For now, though, a wedding was a big enough juncture to plan.

"Knock knock!" A voice called through the door, startling the couple as it was accompanied by an excitable series of the action. Rachel and Finn silently agreed who would do what, with Finn going to the door and Rachel going over her seventh 'last check' of the decorations, food and music arrangements.

Finn was halfway to the door when he heard an exasperated "Blaine, you're twenty-five! How are you still _so_ excitable about parties?"

"It's a _party_, Kurt! How can you _not_ be excited?" Blaine called back, the sound of Kurt's footsteps approaching down the hall.

"I am excited! Just not excited enough to _run_ up _six flights of stairs_!" Before the two boys could discuss the topic any further, the door in front of Blaine flew open to reveal an amused Finn just as Kurt joined his boyfriend.

"Hey guys!" He greeted them, biting back a bark of laughter at the stunned expressions on their faces; they obviously had not been expecting the door to open so swiftly. "Come on in!" He called back over his shoulder, already walking into the apartment to find his fiancée. It was all Blaine could do not to bound into the living room, and so instead kept by Kurt's side in order to remind himself to keep collected. Kurt closed the door to the apartment behind him, placing the bottle of champagne, gift bag and card he had been carrying on the small end table as he removed his jacket.

"Wow," Kurt looked up at his boyfriend, blushing when he saw Blaine's eyes raking up and down his body.

"Blaine, stop it," He giggled quietly, batting Blaine lightly on the arm as a warm blush crept up his neck. Blaine grinned but his gaze continued to wander over Kurt's baby-blue button-down and dark skinny jeans, the prior with the top few buttons left open and the latter highlighting the curve of his slender hips. "Blaine, I'm serious! Stop!" Blaine adored the way Kurt giggled and was just about to take a step closer to tell him just _how beautiful_ he was looking, when a voice from somewhere within the apartment called out to them.

"Kurt? Blaine? Is that you?" Rachel appeared in the doorway to the kitchen a few seconds later, the hem of her dress swaying slightly around her knees from her movement. Upon seeing her best friend, her eyes completely lit up.

"The very same," Kurt grinned, opening his arms wide and rushing towards her. Blaine and Finn watched on with eyes of adoration for their partners as Kurt and Rachel embraced tightly, already babbling excitedly about the party. "Happy Birthday, Rach, from the both of us." Kurt murmured in her ear once they had calmed down a little, holding her close as she smiled against his chest.

"Thank you," Rachel pulled away from Kurt and smiling warmly at the both of them, moving over to take Finn's hand in hers. "Come in and sit down, boys!" She called over her shoulder as she and Finn led the way into the living room. Kurt and Blaine had been here a few times before, but it still took them a while to adjust every time they walked through the door; it was amazing how much Rachel had transformed Finn's apartment since moving in with him, from the fresh palette of colours to the new drapes, and the delicate touches that still managed to keep the whole image of the apartment relatively neutral between feminine and masculine.

"Happy Birthday, Rach," Blaine wished her as he handed over the presents, placing a kiss on her cheek as he did so. She gushed and thanked both of them, giving the presents to Finn so that she could pull them into a tight hug.

* * *

With the champagne in the fridge ready for later, Kurt, Blaine, Rachel and Finn had sat together in the living room discussing their past week, although the conversation was dominated mainly by Blaine and Finn as Kurt and Rachel knew about the majority of the others' week.

Other guests had started arriving around half an hour after Kurt and Blaine, the first of which were Rachel's dads, Hiram and LeRoy Berry. Rachel took great pride in introducing them to Blaine, as well as stressing to her parents that Blaine and Kurt were 'together'. Kurt, used to the genetic enthusiasm of the Berry clan, chatted warmly with the two men who had raised his best friend and laughed along with their jokes, only allowing a feather-light blush to grace his features. Blaine, on the other hand, found himself a little overwhelmed at how open and welcoming the Berry men were. Used to parents who didn't respect or even acknowledge his sexuality, he found himself feeling a little out of place meeting two men who so fully embraced his and their own.

Others trickled in; Rory and Sugar appeared arm-in-arm, and Blaine was able to meet the infamous 'Chang Squared', the adorable Mike and Tina who had lasted since high school. As the party began to fill up, more and more faces Blaine had never met before started to appear. But Kurt stayed vigil by his side, no matter how many old friends called to him from across the room, he kept his hand firmly intertwined with Blaine's as he informed him who was who.

"See that tall, black-haired guy over there? That's Harry. Me and Rach met him when we were at NYADA; he does all of the technical stuff like lights and sound effects and whatever. Really nice guy. Oh! And that blonde over there talking to Finn? That's Kelly. Wow, I haven't seen her for a while… We all went to McKinley together. And there's Ted – met him at NYADA as well – and I think that's his wife, Sandra." The couple in question caught Blaine's eyes just as Kurt pointed them out and so, following Kurt's lead, he waved somewhat hesitantly with a small smile. "Um, I think that's George, but I could have sworn his hair wasn't _that_ shade of blue when I last saw him… Obviously you know Sugar and Rory- you have met Rory haven't you? Yeah, I thought you had. And there's Mike and Tina, also known as 'Mina', 'Tike', 'Team Asian' and 'Chang Squared', among a few other nicknames. There's Joe- still got his dreads, I see. Thankfully he's started wearing shoes when he comes to New York now. And- oh. My. God." Blaine turned anxiously to look a Kurt, who in turn was staring open-mouthed across the room.

"Kurt, honey, are you okay?" Blaine gave the taller man's hand a gentle squeeze, concern furrowing his brow.

"I can't believe she found her…" Kurt whispered, his eyes locked straight ahead. Blaine tried to figure out who Kurt was talking about, his eyes landing on a short, older-looking blonde when the crowd finally parted. Her skin looked well-tanned, but not in a way the contrasted her fair blonde hair. Blaine could tell that she was definitely older, the tell-tale signs of laugh lines around her eyes and mouth just visible from where he stood.

"Who's that?" He asked Kurt, both of them now gazing across the room at the woman.

"That-" Kurt finally managed to stutter, his face breaking out into a huge smile and his eyes glistening with the beginnings of tears as he spoke. "That's April Rhodes.

* * *

**How was that? Was that okay for nearly eight weeks of no story? I hope it was, and I can't wait to hear what you guys thought of it. Is there anyone else you want to appear (taking into consideration who has already appeared in this story)? Any ideas for OCs? I don't mind, whatever you want to happen over the span of Rachel's party, or even afterwards, let me know. Obviously if its OCs you'll have to give me some details about them, such as their appearance and their behaviour etc. **

**The next chapter will be Rachel's Party Part B, but I have no idea when it will be uploaded :) **

**See you next time, whenever that may be. Much love for everyone who has stuck with me for this long, and who has waited out the past eight weeks in patience. I really hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment!**

**Love you all so much!**

**C xxxx**


	33. Rachel's Party Part B

**Hello! Wow, it's been a while hasn't it? A thousand apologies, and a thousand more after that! Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with this, even though my updates are no longer structured! It really does mean a lot to me :)  
A lot of you were intrigued to see why April was back on the scenes, and I fear I may have built it up a bit. She's back in this chapter for a bit, and she will be coming back again in some future chapters (I hope), but I think some of you were expecting some big revelation or something, and I'm really sorry if this disappoints!  
Now I want to say 'thank you' to a few people. Obviously Lu and Kris, because you've helped me through a lot, and I don't know what I'd do without you two :) I-might-BE-slighly-INSANE, you get a thank you for all the laughs we've had over the past eight weeks at school, especially R.S! "Either way you're screwed", eh? ;)**

**So I hope you all enjoy this, please let me know what you did/did not enjoy, and I really hope to be updating soon! I'm on a week-long half term now from school, so I'm getting closer to updating True Colours as well, so anyone who reads that keep your eyes open for an update hopefully by the end of the week! **

**Enjoy! C xx**

* * *

April Rhodes had come far in the past few years. She'd come to realise that, while running Rinky Dinks was a good money earner, it wasn't what she wanted to be doing for the rest of her life. After selling the club (for a rather sizeable amount) April had restarted her pursuit for a career on Broadway that she had left behind years previously. Seven long months of auditions and sign-up sheets and rejections later, April resigned to the thought that she just might be too old to start an acting career.

Whilst attending one of her last auditions that she would ever do, April met a charming, mysterious man by the name of Dustin Goolsby. He had been at the audition to support his sister, Juliet, and had heard April singing, so caught up with her just before she left to compliment her voice. They flirted for a few minutes and April left the theatre with a wide smile and a date for that Friday night. And even though April didn't get the part she'd wanted - or any part for that matter - she hadn't minded, because she soon found out that there was more to life than having your name in lights; there were friends to see, places to visit, and loved ones to cherish. Instead, she and Dustin – after much deliberation – started up their own recording studio in Lower Manhattan. It wasn't much, and they weren't all that well known, but they were helping to support local artists and bands in the first few stages of their careers.

"So you're a producer, now?" Kurt asked, both his and Rachel's eyes wide as they drank in April's story of the past four years. The trio were all stood together, reunited after four years of living their lives, and the small bubble that had formed around them was almost impenetrable. They had been talking for nearly ten minutes now, the three of them just completely oblivious to the party going on around them as they chatted and drank and laughed and joked and reminisced about old times.

"Well, I wouldn't say _that_," April replied, blushing gently and waving him off. "But I _would_ say that Dustin is. I'm just the charms; he's got _all_ the brains. Trust me, if we ever have kids I seriously hope they get his cleverness because if they get mine they'll be screwed, bless 'em!"

"Look at you, thinking about kids!" Kurt teased. April just beamed even wider.

"Can you still _have_ kids?" Rachel asked, her head tilted slightly to the side.

"_Rachel!_" Kurt hissed, glaring at her for a few seconds before turning to apologize to April who, to his shock, was _laughing_.

"Don't worry about it, kid," April gave him a wink and a signature grin before turning to Rachel. "Yes, sweetie, I can still have kids; I'm not _that_ old yet! But the clock is a-ticking so I'm either having one soon or I ain't having any at all! Now if y'all excuse me, I'm gonna go get another drink." And with that she parted from the two younger adults, leaving them both contemplating in silence.

Both Kurt and Rachel began to think about the tiny pitter-patters of feet at the same time, completely unaware they were thinking about the same thing as their neighbour. Rachel considered that, with an engagement ring on her finger, maybe a wedding shouldn't be the only thing with a due date in her life. She and Finn had been together for years now, and what with teaching sports to children Finn really had matured. They'd both come a long way since high school, and Rachel really couldn't think of any reason why they shouldn't at least _consider_ taking that next step. Kurt, on the other hand, could not stop thinking about Blaine; Blaine cuddling a bundle of blankets, or Blaine scooping up a small child in his arms, or Blaine asleep on a sofa with a child snoozing on his chest. The images weren't _perfect_ – they were a little fuzzy around the edges, and the child was never facing him so he couldn't see their face – but they were _there_, and Kurt could honestly say he didn't think he'd wanted anything else more in his life.

* * *

Elsewhere, with the occasional assistance from Finn, Blaine was getting to know the people who had shaped his boyfriend's life. He met Kelly first, and promptly found himself loving her company. She was around 5'3", with her blonde hair – which she assured him was _completely_ natural – cascading down over her shoulders in gentle waves. Her blue eyes lit up when Blaine asked her where she worked, immediately delving into stories of her fifth grade students and the brilliance of teaching ("It's like, every day I can go home knowing that I have passed on these vital nuggets of information to our next generation. I'm serious, Blaine; it's _incredible_"). He then spoke to Harry for a few minutes, but their height difference was starting to take effect on their neck muscles after a while, and so both made their polite excuses and wandered off back into the party.

"Blaine! There you are!" Blaine looked up to see Finn waving over to him from where he was sat on one of the sofas. Blaine waved back and began to make his way over, throwing a quick glance over in Kurt's direction where his boyfriend now stood with Rachel, their friend April having seemingly disappeared. They were talking quietly, but Blaine couldn't tell if they were upset, angry, serious, or downright bored. Before he could ponder about it any further he found himself in front of Finn, a man with striking blue hair sat smiling next to him. "Blaine, this is George," Finn introduced them, patting George on the back with a heavy hand. "He's an old buddy from college. Well, I actually knew his older brother at the time, he was on the football team with me at NYSA, but George here hit it off with Kurt and Rachel. We've all been good friends ever since." Blaine felt his heart growl in his chest at the thought of George and Kurt together, but quickly recovered when he couldn't recall a 'George' on the list of ex-boyfriends Kurt had told him, and thanked his lucky stars that his throat didn't actually form the noise.

"Nice to meet you," He took George's extended hand and shook it. "I'm Kurt's boyfriend."

"Ah, nice to meet you," George grinned as he retracted his hand. "How did you guys meet?"

"We actually knew each other when we were kids, but only for a year. Me and my family moved here when I was nine, and would you believe it? Sixteen years later, I meet Kurt again!"

"Wow, that's quite a story!" George grinned, his eyebrows slightly raised. "I wish mine was as good as that, but me and Stephanie don't go back that far; only married." He added with a wink, his wedding band suddenly becoming obvious on his finger, and Blaine was thankful his sarcasm was obvious. "In fact, it's four years next week that we met."

"Aww! How did you meet?" Ever the sucker for a romantic story, Blaine sat himself down on a chair next to the sofa Finn and George were sat on, leaning forward on his knees with eyes and ears wide open.

"Well, I moved to Washington a few years ago for my job, and after a few months one of my work colleagues _insisted_ that I let him set me up with this girl he knew. I was a little hesitant at first, but I wasn't exactly fighting off the ladies so I accepted. We went for dinner, got to know each other, and she really was a great girl."

"So was Stephanie the girl you went out with? Was it 'love at first sight'?" Blaine hadn't realised Finn was listening so intently until that moment, and held back a laugh at how Finn seemed more eager to hear the story than he was.

"No," George looked grim for a few seconds, taking in the way both men's faces fell. "Stephanie was her roommate." He finished with a wicked grin and a wink as he took a drink from the beer in his hand. The three men laughed together, Blaine missing the affectionate smile Kurt threw in his direction when he saw how well his boyfriend was getting along with his friends.

"Is she here? Stephanie?" Blaine asked when he regained his composure, gesturing to the crowd of people.

"No, no, she's back in Washington," George told him with a slight crestfallen smile. "She couldn't get out of work, but she did really want to be here." He took his phone out of his pocket and after a few taps here and there held the phone so they could all see the screen. The display was adorned with the image of a beautiful redhead, a wide grin on her face as she cuddled a small white Bichon Frisé puppy.

"Aww, cute! Who's that little guy?" The grin on Finn's face seemed like it would never fade as he gazed at the pup, seeming to pay no attention to Stephanie.

"That's Archie," George smiled fondly. "He's a lot bigger than that now, but he's just as cute, if not cuter, now! We got him last year; advice from the parents when we started discussing kids: '_If you can't look after a puppy, you can't look after a baby_'." George quoted in a high-pitched voice, most likely an imitation of either his own mother or Stephanie's. Finn and Blaine both laughed at the impression, but Blaine found his thoughts wandering away from him.

"God, I wish we could get a puppy," He heard Finn saying. "But I don't know if we're allowed one in this building…"

_Kurt would be an amazing father_, Blaine found himself thinking. He glanced across the room to try and find his boyfriend, but in his seated position it was hard to see much further than those closest to him. He turned back to the conversation, nodding and smiling and laughing when appropriate, with his mind completely occupied by thoughts of Kurt asleep on the sofa, two smaller bodies curled up next to him.

He wasn't sure how long he had been daydreaming about him and Kurt becoming parents, but a high-pitched beeping to his left startled him back to the present. "Aww man," Finn groaned as he read the text he had just received. "Puck's been roped into a night shift and can't come! I'd better go tell Rachel…" And with that he stood up and left, winding through the crowd until he found his girlfriend. Blaine could see George in his peripheral vision, the two of them not really sure what they should do considering how little they knew each other.

"So, you and Kurt, huh?" George asked, tilting his head to the side slightly and smiling warmly.

"Yeah, me and Kurt," Blaine grinned in reply, unable to keep the fluttering feeling in his chest down for long.

"How long have you two been together?"

"Not long," Blaine frowned at the memory of how he had been with Sebastian when he and Kurt had met, but it soon dissolved when he added. "But we've known each other for ages. Seems a bit stupid that we weren't together before."

"Ah, I know how that is," George nodded solemnly. "But everything happens for a reason, right? And you two are together now; that's all that matters, any way you slice it."

Blaine chuckled and agreed, taking a sip of his beer just as the crowd parted briefly in front of him. He saw a quick glimpse of Kurt, his face bright with a radiant smile, and even over the din of the party Blaine could hear the musical tones of his laughter. George was right; it didn't matter how he and Kurt had gotten together, or how long it had taken them, as long as it stayed that way.

* * *

"Well," Finn sighed heavily as he dropped onto the sofa, wrapping an arm around Rachel's shoulders. "That was _brilliant_." Kurt smiled from the adjacent sofa, his fingers carefully playing with Blaine's curls as his boyfriend snoozed in his lap. The four of them were the only ones left, with the rest of the party having departed and Mr and Mr Berry staying in a local hotel. Blaine had been asleep some thirty minutes, having found his way back to Kurt over an hour ago and refusing to leave his boyfriend's side for the remainder of the night. He was still holding onto one of Kurt's hands, clutching it tightly to his chest as he slept.

"I'll say," Rachel agreed, snuggling into her fiancé's side. "It was great seeing everyone again; my Dads and April and- and _everyone_. It was brilliant. Thank you." She leant up and planted a kiss on Finn's cheek, leaving a red lip print on the side of his face. She yawned and snuggled back into Finn, falling asleep in seconds with a peaceful smile on her face.

"I thought Rachel only had one glass of champagne?" Kurt gazed at his friend in confusion and awe, amazed at how much of a lightweight Rachel had become since their high school days.

"She did…" Finn frowned as he watched his fiancée sleeping in his lap. "At least, I _think_ she did. How many beers did Blaine have?" Finn nodded towards Blaine, who stirred slightly in his sleep when Finn said his name.

"I, uh… I have _no idea_," Kurt realised that he hadn't really spent _that much time_ with Blaine that night, and although he knew that Blaine could hold his drink, he wasn't exactly sure how much that was. "But I think I'd better get him home or he'll be _seriously_ grouchy in the morning." He gave Blaine's hand a gentle squeeze, smirking when his boyfriend grumbled in his sleep.

"It's really great to see you so happy," Finn remarked into the silence. Kurt looked up to see Finn watching them and blushed slightly. He and Finn had been friends for quite a while, but it was very rare that they ever spoke to each other in such a manner. Or, to be more accurate, it was rare for _Finn_ to be so affectionate towards anyone other than Rachel or his mother.

"I am happy," Kurt confirmed, more to himself than to Finn. "I just can't believe I'm so lucky, y'know?" Finn tilted his head to the side, reminding of Kurt of his boyfriend's own puppy-like ways.

"How so?"

"Well, me and Blaine knew each other when we were kids, right?" Finn nodded, but his facial expression showed no sign of being any closer to understanding. "Well, when he left, I lost my best friend. And then I haven't exactly had the _best_ romantic history, have I? I mean, there was Jason in High School, but-"

"But he was an asshole." Finn interjected, his face darkening slightly.

"Yes, he was an asshole." Kurt agreed with a firm nod of his head. He knew how much Finn hated his first boyfriend, if the black eye and broken nose Jason miraculously obtained after he broke up with Kurt was anything to go by. "And then there was Alex, but that was just a crush on a straight guy… First of many, it would seem." Kurt waved off the statement with his hand, an attempt to be blasé that Finn could see straight through. His brow furrowed in concern, watching Kurt from across the room as his body language changed with the mention of each ex-boyfriend. "Richard was just- Urgh, I can't even _talk_ about him anymore. Same goes for Tom. I don't even think of them as ex-boyfriends anymore; they're just people-who-used-to-be-in-my-life-that-I-don't-care-about-anymore. Seriously, when I think about it, the only one I can stomach to think about is Daniel," Finn's expression lightened slightly, knowing that Kurt's last boyfriend, Daniel, had been the closest Kurt had gotten to 'The One'. Daniel had been a sweet, loving, genuinely romantic boyfriend; the ones Kurt had fantasized about during his teenage years. They had broken up nearly two years ago now, their seven-month relationship being torn apart by Daniel's promotion that whisked him away to Seattle. They had ended on as good a terms as they could manage, Daniel assuring Kurt that he would find the person he was meant to be with. And it had been in that moment that Kurt had thought of Blaine for the first time in seven months, a fleeting image of what he had still believed his childhood friend would look like in present day, Rolex and all.

"And now Blaine," Finn added softly, his voice only just loud enough to penetrate Kurt's thoughts. Kurt looked to him, a dazed but confused expression on his face. "Blaine will be the one you will always be able to talk about, because I don't think you're going to be with anyone else for the rest of your life." Kurt was stunned into silence, his breath and any remnants of words or sound caught in his throat. Finn took the silent opportunity to continue. "I'm serious, Kurt. He has completely changed you, and for the better definitely. I haven't seen you so happy since Daniel, and yes I know you haven't been sad or depressed, but you haven't been _happy_." Finn gestured to Blaine. "He's changed that. I'm telling you, Kurt; I think he's The One for you."

The two men sat in silence together, their partners still sleeping soundly beside them. "Thank you, Finn," Kurt choked out, his voice a mangled whisper that only just managed to escape his throat. He collected himself and looked down at Blaine, feeling completely overwhelmed with the warm feeling of utter devotion swelling inside his chest. "Blaine, honey," He said gently, rocking his boyfriend carefully until he began to stir. "Blaine, we're going to go home now, so you need to get up, okay?"

"Mmno," Blaine grumbled, clinging onto Kurt. "Comfy here."

"Tough luck, sweetie," Kurt chuckled, shifting his hips so that Blaine had to sit up. "You need to wake up in your own bed; otherwise you're going to be i_ncredibly_ grouchy in the morning."

"Don't wanna," Blaine whined as Kurt hauled him up to his feet, slumping into his boyfriend's taller frame when he was upright.

"I'll see you later, Finn," Kurt gave a half-wave, only allowing his hand to leave his boyfriend for a second before putting it back, keeping Blaine upright being at the forefront of his mind. "And thank you." Finn simply nodded in reply before offering to help Kurt walk Blaine to the door. "No, no, it's fine; I've got him," Kurt assured him. "Besides, you have your own sleeping beauty to deal with." He winked at Finn with a nod towards Rachel, who was still sleeping soundly cuddled into him.

A brief, stage-whispered goodbye between them and Kurt was out of the apartment, stumbling under the weight of a drunken Blaine who was giggling and slurring the whole way down to the street. It had been a task getting Blaine to stay upright in the elevator (no way was Kurt risking the stairs with Blaine in this condition), but now, while Kurt was trying to hail a taxi for the two of them, it was even harder.

Finally able to flag a cab down, Kurt piled Blaine into the back seat before slipping in next to him and keeping him propped up as he told the driver their address.

"He better not be sick in here." The driver informed him gruffly as Blaine groaned after the car halted to an abrupt stop.

"Maybe next time you should be a little gentler on the brakes." Kurt retorted, his eyes barely leaving his boyfriend.

Finally home, Kurt got Blaine safely into his own bedroom, settling him down on his bed before carefully undressing him. Knowing that any form of bright light would be like torture to Blaine in this state, Kurt took care of him by the light from the hallway with the door to Blaine's bedroom ajar but not fully open.

Kurt left his boyfriend tucked up in bed in a pair of old Dalton sweats he had found in his boyfriend's closet, one of the last pieces of Blaine's clothing not to have moved into Kurt's room, and headed to the kitchen. He returned carrying a glass of water with a straw in it and an old washing-up bowl that was kept under the sink for such situations.

"Blaine?" Kurt crouched next to his boyfriend, gently brushing a stray curl or two from his face. "Baby, I need you to drink this water for me, okay?" Blaine blinked at him sleepily before his gaze moved to the glass of water. He groaned and buried his head into the pillow, curling his body up under the duvet.

"N'more drink," He grumbled. "Don' wan' n'more to drink."

"You have to, sweetie," Kurt persisted calmly, stroking Blaine's curls in an attempt to calm him down. "Otherwise you're going to feel _very ill_ in the morning."

"Feel ill now." Blaine pouted back, peeking over the covers at Kurt.

"Well you'll feel even worse in the morning if you don't drink this for me," Kurt could see why his Dad had expected him to be either a doctor or a teacher; he had inherited his mother's ability to care for absolutely anyone, with that gentle persistence that made him see it through to the end, even if his 'patient' wasn't so thrilled about it. "I'm not saying you have to drink it all; just a little bit? For me?" Those last two words were the final two blows to Blaine's resolve that made it crumble. He pulled the covers back down and stared back at Kurt for a few seconds before shifting closer. Kurt held the straw out for him and Blaine took a few small sips before retreating again, but Kurt was still satisfied. He gently placed the glass onto the bedside cabinet before making sure the bowl was in the right sort of area should Blaine feel the need to use it. He rose from his crouching position and placed a gentle kiss to Blaine's temple before departing for his own bedroom. Dressing quickly, he decided that he could skip his skin regime for one night, even though he was usually more diligent after consuming alcohol, and headed back into Blaine's room. Making sure all the lights were switched off throughout the apartment, Kurt quietly slipped into bed behind Blaine and caressed his back and shoulders gently to let him know he was there. As much as he wanted to cuddle up to his boyfriend, there was no way he was risking Blaine being sick on him. Instead, he kept a small distance between them with a hand constantly in contact with Blaine's body, either softly stroking his arm or rubbing his shoulders gently, just to make sure that Blaine knew he was there taking care of him.

* * *

**Aww, a little bit of fluff in there :D See how differently Kurt looks after Blaine when he's drunk than Sebastian did way back in chapter 7? :)**

**Now, I'm not going to have a rant, mainly because I haven't seen The Break Up, but I am going to say that it's not going to affect _anything_ I write. This story, and True Colours, will remain a HEA story. If you read my profile, I did say that I will _always_ try to write HEAs. Of course there will be a story or drabble that isn't all butterflies and rainbows, but I gotta write some angst somewhere, people! But yes, my point was that you don't have to worry about anything breaking these boys up, cos I ain't gonna let that happen ;)**

**I also want to send my best wishes and deepest condolences to everyone and anyone who has been affected by Tropical Storm Sandy that hit the east coast at midnight GMT last night. A group of students from my school went out there last Thursday, and I have no idea when they're meant to be back but I have a feeling the storm has affected it. My best to everyone who has been affected Xxxxxxx**


	34. Chapter 34

**I. Am. So. Sorry.**

**How long has it been? Jeez, it's been _way_ too long. I have missed you guys all _so_ much, and while I have been uploading other stuff it's not the same. Something's Coming is the story this all started with, and if I hadn't hashed out a plot and written the first few chapters just to see how it went I wouldn't be sat here right now, in my living room at ten to one in the morning writing this A/N. I would probably be starting yet _another_ novel idea in my bid to become a published author before giving it up a few days later and starting another one. Fanfiction has been my one stable (if not slightly delayed at times) writing outlet, and I am just so shocked that all of you want to share that with me. Really, thank you. It means the world to me.**

**Now I would give you excuses as to why it's taken me nearly three months to update, but really there's no point. The important thing is that I'm finally uploading! *celebration* And hopefully I'll be updating soon (famous last words, much?) because I have Monday and Tuesday off of school *even bigger celebration* which means I can get working on Chapter 35! I might start that now actually...**

**I wouldn't be surprised if you'd forgotten what's happened so far, so here's a little update: Our boys are living together (yay) and the night before this chapter they celebrated Rachel's birthday. **

**Again, a thousand apologies for not updating sooner.**

* * *

Sunday. The day of rest, peace and tranquillity. At least, it would have been for Blaine if he hadn't woken up with a pounding headache and a thorough disdain for any and all sources of light. Squirming under the covers, Blaine attempted to bury himself within the mattress as he prayed to fall back asleep sometime soon. When he couldn't fall asleep, Blaine groaned into his pillow and fisted the sheets. He didn't remember drinking _that_ much, but then again it had been a while since had gotten properly drunk. The last time had been the day Sebastian had gone to Wisconsin, and even through the break up Blaine never felt the need to get inordinately pissed again because he found the comfort he needed in Kurt, not the bottom of the nearest bottle. Peering up at his bedside clock, Blaine whined first of all when the red digits blinded him, and second when he managed to read _9:13_. "Too early," Blaine grumbled, curling up into himself as tightly as he could.

That was when he heard distant sounds from the kitchen. He recognised a few as pots and pans being rattled around in the cupboard, and despite the distance it still made him wince. He could hear the fridge door opening and closing, as well as the very faint sounds of things being moved about inside. That was when his foot drifted over to the other side of the bed, and he could just about detect warmth lingering on the sheets: _Kurt_.

Blaine sat up a lot quicker than he intended to. He was suddenly very wary about Kurt's absence, and in his hungover state it took him a few seconds to link the sounds coming from the kitchen to his boyfriend's side of the bed being empty. When he did so he breathed a sigh of relief, then instantly rolled over and threw up into the bowl Kurt must have placed there either the night before or that morning. He was honestly astounded that Kurt was taking so much care of him, but was even more surprised that his aim was so good considering how absolutely _shit_ he felt.

Kurt came running in a few seconds later, crawling onto the bed behind him and gently rubbing his shoulders. "You okay, babe?" he asked in a quiet, soothing voice, keeping a steady rhythm across Blaine's back. Blaine nodded weakly, but made no attempt to speak in case he threw up again. He was more worried about Kurt seeing him throw up than actually throwing up again, so he decided to focus on applying a steady in-through-the-nose, out-through-the-mouth pace to his breathing. "How's your head?" Kurt chuckled softly when all Blaine did was groan into his pillow. "You see, this is why I didn't get drunk last night; getting drunk gives you hangovers!"

Blaine rolled over and, in the clearest voice he had all morning, declared, "Drinking does not give you hangovers, Kurt, waking up the next morning does." And with that he rolled back over onto his front, face buried deep into the pillows. Kurt gently rubbed his back and rose from the bed with a chuckle.

"Well, either way, you have a hangover, Blaine. You also have a performance this afternoon, and Sue will _kill_ you if you turn up like this." He retrieved the bowl from Blaine's side of the bed and disappeared out of the room. He returned a few minutes later and sat back on the bed, his fingers gently stroking Blaine's soft curls as he began to hum a melodic tune under his breath. Even though Blaine didn't know the song – or if it was even a song in the first place – the sounds helped to soothe him and his pounding head. Kurt seemed to sense this as he sang for another five minutes, the tune changing and never repeating, but still keeping a strange familiarity with each note. "You need to have a shower," Kurt finally said, his fingers dancing across the nape of Blaine's neck. "It'll help you to feel better."

"If I move I'll be sick," Blaine moaned into his pillow. Kurt smiled softly as he gazed down at his boyfriend, recalling from personal experience how it felt to be hungover.

"If you don't shower, _I'll_ be sick," Kurt replied. "You _stink_ of alcohol, Blaine."

"Gee, _thanks_," Kurt smirked at the sarcasm in Blaine's voice. Blaine rolled over to face him, Kurt's hand moving back up to stroke his curls as he did so. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Kurt frowned slightly, tilting his head to one side. "What for?"

"Looking after me," Blaine answered with a smile, feeling a swooping sensation in his chest when Kurt blushed and tried to hide his smile, modest as he was; Kurt was so adorable when he did that.

"Anytime," Kurt returned with a smile. Blaine couldn't help but stare when Kurt smiled at him, memorising every inch of his face and the love it projected towards him, just hoping that Kurt could feel how much he loved him in return. Reaching out, Blaine took Kurt's other hand in his from where it had been resting on Kurt's leg. Kurt smiled down at the gesture and Blaine noticed how Kurt still blushed at his small signs of affection. Blaine wasn't going to let himself get emotional over this, because he didn't need Kurt to know that he hadn't felt this loved since before he came out to his parents, but he needed Kurt to know that he appreciated everything Kurt did for him.

"I love you," Blaine murmured, squeezing Kurt's hand. Kurt, without breaking eye contact, lifted Blaine's hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss.

"I love you, too," He whispered when his lips were free. They sat there together; each of them gazing at the other in a moment of pure bliss, where the outside world melted away and they were left, just the two of them, on Blaine's bed.

Blaine got up not long later, stumbling to the bathroom and declaring to Kurt that there was no amount of money in the world that could make him drink ever again. Kurt laughed at his announcement from the kitchen, waiting until he heard the running of the shower before he turned back to his phone which had just buzzed on the kitchen countertop. He opened his most recent text message and smiled.

_Still on for this evening? Xxxx_

He typed out his reply and pressed 'send' before turning back to the food he had gotten out earlier, ready to make Blaine some breakfast for him to eat after his shower.

_Can't wait :) I'll head on over after Blaine leaves for work xxxx_

* * *

The hot water of the shower revitalised Blaine, and although he was exactly dancing through the halls he was a lot cheerier by the time he arrived at work that afternoon. He had an hour until curtain call and so, as he made his way to his dressing room, he reflected on the afternoon he'd had with Kurt.

When Blaine had returned to his bedroom after his shower, a clean, casual outfit consisting of jeans, polo shirt and a cardigan was laid out on his bed. Kurt had already laid out breakfast for him by the time he reached the kitchen, the two of them sitting opposite each other at the table as Blaine ate and occasionally fed Kurt despite the teacher's protests he had already eaten. They spent most of the morning lazing in the living room, the TV on a comfortable volume that made it possible for Blaine to doze off most of his hangover. Over the course of several hours, he had awoken to Kurt grading papers, Kurt watching TV, Kurt reading and finally Kurt dozing too. Kurt woke up not much later and, after Blaine _promising_ he was feeling much better, shared a few lazy kisses as they lay tangled up together on the sofa, the TV forgotten about across the room. They went out for lunch after one o'clock after Kurt declared that he shouldn't have to cook on Sundays, and it was quiet, peaceful and relaxed. They'd returned to the apartment just after half past four and so Kurt made them coffee which they sat and drank in the living room, Kurt sat on one end of the sofa and Blaine at the other, their legs tangled together between them until Blaine had to leave for work. Blaine smiled as the whole day replayed in his mind over and over and he wondered what Kurt was up to now. He knew that Kurt was going out that afternoon, but wasn't exactly sure when.

He waved 'hello' to the other actors and actresses as they wandered through the halls, some just arriving and some – like Richard and Wes – trying to find someone to annoy. Quinn and Sunshine both greeted him with a smile, while Brittany opted for a hug as she made her way to Santana's dressing room. Blaine was just about to open his door when a voice to his right stopped him.

"Hey, Blaine," Blaine looked up and froze. The sight before him wasn't what he'd expected to see when he'd gotten to work that day, nor was it a sight that he'd expected to see for a long while to come yet.

"Hey yourself," Blaine took a cautious step forward, unable to hold back his grin. It was either that or tears, and he didn't really want to cry right now. His step forward was scoffed at, and Blaine stumbled as he was pulled into a tight hug, arms around him holding him close.

* * *

Kurt pushed the door open to the café and frantically looked about the store. There was a slight chill in the April air and he had the unwavering feeling that it might rain by the end of the day, and so the warmth of the establishment was incredibly welcome, the smell of coffee and freshly baked pastries even more so. Scanning the tables Kurt unwound his scarf from his neck until finally his eyes landed on the table whose occupant he was looking for.

Kurt wound his way through the tables until he reached his desired target, sitting down across the table from her as he decided on his order.

"Hello, you," Kurt looked up to the girl across from him, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders and her warm smile somehow managing to light the room even further. Kurt felt himself instantly relax into his chair, wondering how he didn't spend more time with the woman opposite him: it really was a crime against their friendship.

"Hey Tina," Kurt returned her smile, reaching a hand across the table to squeeze hers. He really cared for her, and they had been close friends from the moment they'd met as teachers-in-training. Tina had been quiet then, and although it had taken her a while to warm up to Rachel she had immediately clicked with Kurt. He'd let her talk in her own time and listened to her when she did so, and he often assured her not to worry about Rachel's diva-moments when the young Asian girl was left fearing for her life in the first few weeks.

And so it was a shock to him when he realised they spent little time together outside of NYADA's buildings, a shock caused when he overheard Tina telling Rory about what she had done over her Christmas holidays and Kurt had had no idea, whereas he had known Rachel's schedule backwards two weeks before the holidays. When Kurt got the chance to talk to her about it a week later, both of them expressed how much they missed their old friendship and agreed to take more care to see each other more often. They had nearly cancelled this rendezvous as both of them had attended Rachel's party the night before, but given that they hadn't really been able to talk much it seemed logical for them to still meet up on the Sunday.

"How's Blaine doing today?" The Asian girl asked with a giggle. She had seen the beginnings of Blaine getting drunk the night before, and Kurt thanked every lucky star in existence that no-one had seen him at his most intoxicated.

"He's okay," Kurt began with a smile, a few giggles escaping when Tina gave him an 'oh really?' look. "No, he's fine. It took a little nursing on my part this morning, but it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Blaine just seems to be able to handle hangovers." Kurt finished with a shrug, noticing a waitress coming their way in the corner of his eye.

"He can't handle his drink, though," Tina teased, taking a sip of her cappuccino just as the waitress reached their table. Kurt shot her a mock glare before smirking, turning to the waitress to order. Kurt thanked her as she walked away, before directing his gaze back towards his friend who was still smirking into her coffee.

"And Mike's so fantastic at that, isn't he?" He shot back with a grin. Now the banter was starting.

"Hey! My boyfriend can hold his drink!" Tina exclaimed, maybe a little too loudly for the quaint coffee shop, a few patrons turning to stare at her. She shrank back a little under their gaze but soon returned to her normal state once their heads turned back around. She looked across to Kurt, who was snickering into his hand, and batted his arm in fake agitation. "Mike can handle his drink," She restated, a lot calmer this time.

"Yes, because dancing on Rachel and Finn's dining room table without his shirt on is a _very_ common sign that someone can handle their drink…" Kurt trailed off casually. Tina was about to protest when the same waitress from earlier reappeared, setting down a blueberry muffin and a hot chocolate in front of the chestnut-haired teacher. When Kurt looked back up across the table, Tina was smiling warmly at him again.

"I've missed us hanging out like this, Kurt," She leant across the table to take his hand again, giving it a gentle squeeze before retrieving it to take a sip from her drink. "Hey, have you heard?" she leant forward suddenly and lowered her voice to a whisper, her eyes alight with excitement. Kurt was pulled in immediately.

"Heard what?"

"About Ellis!" Tina exclaimed. She seemed shocked when Kurt replied he knew nothing about the gossip surrounding Jonathan Ellis, NYADA's Practical Acting Professor. He taught some of the acting classes at the Academy, the 'Practical' in his title meaning he had nothing to do with the theory side of theatre studies like Kurt did. It was also why Ellis' lessons were favourable among the more dramatic of the students, whereas Kurt's suited the more academic ones. Kurt and Jonathan met up twice a term to discuss the direction of the course and how the students were progressing, but emails were exchanged everyday between the two teachers on how they could adapt and mould their lessons. Although they worked with the same students, Kurt and Jonathan rarely talked: Jonathan only ever turned up for his lessons and the rest of the time he was off on auditions, the amateur actor that he was. "Well," Tina started, mischievousness dancing in her eyes like those of a child who had found out something they shouldn't have, like where their parents had hidden their Christmas presents. "Rory told me that he overheard Jonathan telling Shelby that he's got a part off-Broadway, which means he'll be leaving NYADA."

Kurt's jaw dropped. Not out of distress at his colleague's departure, but at the idea that _Jonathan_ had _gotten a_ _part off-Broadway_. It wasn't that he didn't think the man was worthy; because Kurt had seen him act and Jonathan had proved every ounce of his worth, but it had taken him so long and now he was finally getting the career he'd dreamed of that Kurt himself even found it too good to be true. "Wow…" Kurt blinked a few times as the news settled in, his gaze directed at the table but not really seeing. "So- so that means there'll be a new teacher arriving, right? When does Jonathan leave?"

"I'm not sure," Tina informed him, "But yes, I expect Shelby will be holding interviews soon. After his leaving is officially announced, that is." Kurt hummed in agreement, the cogs in his mind already working onto what sort of person he would want to work with after Jonathan. He was a little confused as to how Rory and Tina had found out before he had, Jonathan being _his_ colleague and all, but he was happy for the actor nonetheless. Jonathan was nothing if not dedicated, and his seemingly limitless enthusiasm was incredibly catchy. Kurt would miss working with him, but at the same time he wished only the best for him. "Who do you think could replace him?"

Kurt thought for a while about his answer to Tina's question, picturing all the possible types of people he could who could fill Jonathan's shoes. When none of them seemed to quite fit the picture, he sighed and shook his head as he reached for his hot chocolate. "I have no idea."

* * *

Blaine arrived home with a slight urgency in his step, a desperation to find Kurt and tell him about his afternoon driving him forwards. He found Kurt sat up in his own bed intently reading a book, and the scene looked so perfect Blaine didn't want to ruin it by speaking. But Kurt had noticed him and appeared to read until the end of his paragraph before sliding his bookmark into position and closing the book. He smiled up at Blaine and tapped the bed next to him, signalling for his boyfriend to join him in bed, which Blaine eagerly obliged to.

"How was the show?" Kurt asked as Blaine undressed. The teacher placed his book onto the nightstand and turned to Blaine, trying to keep his gaze focused on Blaine's face rather than roving down his body over his defined, muscular chest and arms. It was rather a hard task.

"Oh, you will _not_ believe who I saw at work today!" Blaine proclaimed as he shimmied out of his jeans. Kurt lifted his eyes from Blaine's ass to his face just as the actor turned around, a soft smile on his lips as he shook his head; he had no idea.

"Who?"

"_Thad_."

Kurt's head shot up from where he'd been rearranging his pillows. "_What_? I thought he was babysitting?"

Blaine nodded in agreement as he slipped under the covers. "So did I. Turns out his mom wanted to spend some time with the grandkids once she found out Thad was looking after them," He pulled a face; he didn't like Thad's mother much, "Funny that."

"Mm, how coincidental," Kurt murmured. "What did Thad say?"

"Well, first of all he apologised. _Again_. An apology which is extended to you, too," Blaine laid down and propped himself up facing Kurt, his head resting in his hand. Kurt smirked; Thad had already apologised for his reaction, but it didn't seem to be enough for Blaine's best friend. "And then we chatted for a while… and then he told me he's leaving West Side." Kurt could hear the melancholy tone to Blaine's voice; he and Thad had started West Side Story together, they'd gone through school and survived their teens together, and now Thad was leaving. Kurt gently took Blaine's free hand in his own, rubbing his thumb along the back of it as he listened to Blaine tell the story. "Apparently, he's gotten a lead role in Les Miserables. He's been after that part since we were seventeen and we went to see it on Broadway," Blaine smiled at the memory; Thad had been enthralled by the musical all about the French Revolution – a completely different story to how the boy was in his actual history lessons at school. "God, I'm so proud of him. I'm just going to really miss him."

"Hey, you can still see him," Kurt soothed, shifting closer under the covers. "You guys are best friends, right?" Blaine nodded solemnly. "Right, so it's not like you're going to fall out of touch or anything."

"I know, but I won't see him at work anymore," Blaine sighed, "It won't be the same."

"I know, honey, I know," Kurt pressed a kiss into his boyfriend's hair and held him close. Blaine melted into his touch and snuggled in closer, snaking his arm around Kurt's waist as he did so. They laid together in silence for a while. Blaine tuned into the rhythm of Kurt's heartbeat and Kurt listened to the steady in-out of Blaine breathing, his warm breath against Kurt's chest.

Finally Blaine looked up at his boyfriend, keeping his arms around Kurt and holding him close. "How about you? How was your day?" Kurt smiled as he thought back over his afternoon.

"Well, I met up with Tina just after you left for work. It was really nice, y'know, just the two of us? Over the years, we've been spending less and less time together outside of school, so it was really great to spend some time with her," Blaine hummed in agreement.

"Did you guys do anything fun?"

"Just met up for coffee," Kurt gave a one-shoulder shrug, "Gossip and chitchat, y'know."

"Anything interesting?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, something pretty interesting _did_ come up…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Kurt gazed down into Blaine's eyes, open and expectant, already eager to hear the gossip. "Tina told me that Jonathan – you know the actor guy who does the practical side of the course? Well Tina told me he's _finally_ gotten a part off-Broadway and he's going to be leaving NYADA." Blaine's eyebrows almost reached his hairline before dipping back down into a frown.

"So, what does that mean for you?" he asked, "Will you have to teach both sides of the course? Or will there be a replacement?"

"Oh, there'll be a replacement," Kurt assured, "But it might take a while. I might have to teach both sides for a few weeks." He thought for a few seconds. "Or they might get some other actors to come in and take a few lessons each until they find a replacement. I don't know, but I'm sure Shelby will let me know as soon as she figures it out. It still has to be announced that Jonathan is leaving, and after that the job will be advertised." Kurt ran one hand through Blaine's curls and the other held his boyfriend's hand, but his gaze was directed at the bed covers as he thought about what Shelby might decide to do.

"Do you think I could do some?" Blaine's voice threw his train of thought completely off-track. Kurt looked up at his boyfriend who seemed a little anxious, but his eyes were ignited with enthusiasm. Kurt was still confused. "Classes, I mean. I could take some of the classes while they find a replacement." And just like that it clicked in Kurt's mind. _Of course! _Why hadn't he thought of asking Blaine? It was a brilliant idea; Blaine loved his acting, and Kurt had no doubt he'd enjoy teaching it just as much, and it meant they could see each other during the day, even if only for a few days.

"I don't see why not," Kurt grinned and kissed Blaine on the nose, making the actor smile. "It's a fantastic idea, baby. I'll ask Shelby about it at work tomorrow and we'll see where it goes from there. I don't think it will be until next week, though."

"That's fine," Blaine shrugged. "I want to spend this week with Thad as much as I can before he goes off to Les Mis, if that's okay?"

"Perfectly," Kurt smiled, pulling Blaine in for the kiss he'd been trying to resist since the actor had walked in the door. He still got those intoxicating shivers whenever Blaine's lips met his and each time he wondered if he would ever be able to get enough of it.

And each time he decided that no, he wouldn't.

* * *

**I think this chapter is more of a filler chapter to be honest :/ Nothing really seems to happen, but hopefully more will be happening soon in the next few chapters. I didn't put in the conversation with Thad, but all shall be properly explained soon, I promise! I hope to see you all soon, and by that I don't mean three months from now, I actually mean _soon_. Remember when I uploaded twice a week and had a schedule? That was fun... **

**A special thanks to my amazing friend DrUnderscore who beta'd this chapter for me. He's on fictionpress and he's writing a story called Fractured Skies, so please go and have a read of it? It really is pretty damn good and I don't think it's getting the attention it deserves, so go have a look? Pretty please? You guys rock! ;) And the same applies for the works of RainySunnyEnding, GirlInTheBlueHoodie (or GirlInTheBearShapedHat on fictionpress) and I-might-BE-slightly-INSANE. They're all my friends and I love 'em to bits, so it would be just fab if you guys could check out their stuff. I swear it's more than worth the time!**

**As always, love to RainySunnyEnding. She's one of the main reasons i still write this, because she believed in me so much. Really, you have her to thank for the fact thst you are reading this write now! She would have been beta for this chapter but her internet is playing up and I couldn't get this to her :( And annoyingly I might have to find me a new beta because she's told me she doesn't want any spoilers! Lu, if you still want me to send you my chapters before I upload them, I will. Love you, soulmate xxx**

**But just in case, are there any volunteers? I can't guarentee when chapters will get finished and sent to you, but it will mean you get to read a little ahead of everyone else. On the same note if anyone wants a beta I'm happy to help! No matter when you are reading this A/N, just message me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. **

**To paddyofurniture, love and hugs and an apology. We haven't spoken in what feels like _forever_. My exams are over now, and I really want to get back in touch with you. I'll send you a message in the next few days, okay? Let me know how you are xx**

**To my Girl, BlueHoodie or BearShapedHat, I love you _so_ much, okay? Let me know how you're doing, and I hope I'll be seeing you Monday night :D Xx**

**You guys know I love you all, but I'm going to say it again anyway! I LOVE YOU GUYS! :D **

**Amy xxxxxxxx**

**P.S - I watched Rent twice this week, and I'm seriously in love with it. I keep playing La Vie Boheme or Seasons of Love on my phone, as well as I'll Cover You. Angel and Collins are without a doubt my favourite. Just... feels. So many feels. If you haven't seen Rent, get a copy ASAP and watch it. Even if you don't fall in love with it as much as I did, you will have seen it. **


	35. Chapter 35

**Hi *sheepish smile* So, erm... I've been away from this story for a while. More than a while: 2 months and 12 days. If you read True Colours or follow my drabbles, you'll know that this break has in no way been intentional. Year twelve has been a lot more... hectic and full of coursework than I expected it to be, and I've found that writing has become more of a luxurious habit done rarely rather than the near-obssession it was for me when I started these stories. I have been trying to finish this story for at least a month, but I had some exams that didn't go well in January and ever since then my teachers have been pushing me pretty hard ready for the ones I have in... ooh, five weeks? *insert scared whimpers here* **

**But alas! I have been graced with two weeks off, and I've been writing my little tushie off to make sure I update at least once during these two weeks. I've already updated True Colours, and now I'm _finally_ getting to update my baby! I think I might be updating True Colours again before I go back to school, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to update Something's Coming again as well (I really hope I do, though!)**

**And I haven't said this in a while, so _thank you_ to all of you who read this and any of my other stories. Whether you've been following this story from the start or you started reading only recently, it really means a lot me. 196 of you beautiful people have alerted this story, and I honestly never thought I'd see those numbers climb so high! I've felt so guilty about not updating this story sooner, but now that I have I hope you can all forgive me? *Blaine's puppy eyes (because who can resist them?!)***

**And, because it's been so long, I'm gonna add a little 'Recently' section...**

* * *

_Recently..._

_Blaine and Kurt are very much in love and living together, the whole situation with Thad now sorted out. Thad has revealed he's leaving West Side Story due to another opportunity and, although he'll still be living in New York, Blaine know he's going to miss his best friend like crazy. Kurt has discovered that Jonathan, the actor who teaches the acting side of his course, is leaving and so now a replacement will have to be found. _

* * *

Blaine got up at the same as Kurt did for the next week rather than sleeping in a little longer. He made sure to be showered and breakfasted by the time Kurt left for work, and not soon after he made his own exit from the apartment. He'd agreed to meet up with Thad every day, the two of them joining other members of the cast for different things each day or just sitting talking together over coffee. Blaine had been worried that he and Thad would run out of things to do after the first two days or so and after that their days together would feel forced, but he was wrong. Thad was always pleased to see him and was always enthusiastic about anything they did, and it didn't take Blaine long to realise that it was because Thad was going to miss him, too.

* * *

When Kurt walked into work Monday morning, Shelby called him straight into her office. Kurt followed her down the halls, listening to the click-click of her heels against the floor. He already knew what she was going to tell him but he still got the feeling of being a child who had been sent to the headmaster's office, butterflies even started to flutter in his stomach as they neared the door.

"Go on in," Shelby smiled as she held the door open and stepped aside. Her smile helped to settle his nerves, and soon the butterflies simply flew away. In some way, Shelby reminded Kurt of his mother. They looked nothing alike, but they were both exceedingly caring and Kurt felt comfortable and safe in Shelby's presence, just like he had with his mother.

Walking into Shelby's office, Kurt saw Jonathan already sat in one of the chairs opposite her desk and greeted him with a smile, which Jonathan returned. "Sit down, Kurt," Shelby advised as she sat herself behind her desk. "Now, I'm guessing you already know why you're here, boys," She began as Kurt sat down. Both men nodded. "Obviously we are very proud of Jonathan, but we need to sort out what's going to happen when he does go." Kurt looked to his colleague and they smiled sadly at each other; now that they were going to be parting ways, Kurt suddenly wished he'd tried harder to get to know the actor. "Kurt, there will obviously be a replacement for the practical classes, but I'm not sure how long that's going to take, so until then you will have to plan your own lessons and the practical lessons will be taken by actors if and when they come to us. There may be some lessons that cannot be covered, so I suggest you plan some extra theory classes just in case." Kurt nodded as ideas started to whir in his brain, trying to come up with lessons that wouldn't affect the rest of the course but would still be relevant. "Jonathan will be leaving at the end of the week, so we have until then to find at least one replacement for his lessons. Most of the Broadway shows at the moment are in rehearsal, so we can't really be pulling out any actors from there," Shelby clicked her mouse a few times and Kurt watched as her eyes scanned the different screens. "So it looks like it might have to be one of the longer running shows, considering we want some _decent_ actors in here teaching our kids."

"I know some decent actors!" Kurt blurted out. He covered his mouth with his hand, surprised at himself for calling out. Jonathan and Shelby looked a little surprised, too, but soon both of them were wearing amused little grins. Shelby turned her attention wholly to him, folding her hands on the table and smiling at him.

"Really? Do tell, Kurt," Kurt glanced between his boss and his soon-to-be-ex-co-worker, both of whom were now listening to him intently.

"I-I know the West Side Story cast," Kurt began. Immediately Shelby's eyes widened in amazement, while Jonathan's widened and then narrowed in surprise turned suspicious jealously.

"Kurt, why didn't you say so?" Shelby cooed from behind her desk, her grin widening each second until Kurt was scared her face was going to split in two.

"It never really came up in conversation…" Kurt stuttered shrinking back in his chair slightly away from the two pairs of eyes staring him down. "Not until now, of course."

"_How_?" Jonathan suddenly asked to Kurt's left. He was watching Kurt with a sceptical gaze, and Kurt couldn't help feeling a little smug at the idea that Jonathan could be jealous of his connections.

"My boyfriend is part of- he's the- he's Tony." Kurt didn't know why he'd found it so hard to say that his boyfriend was the lead in one of the longest running Broadway shows. Maybe it was because of the intense gaze he was under, doubled by the fact it was two people staring at him, or maybe it was because until he'd seen Shelby's reaction to who he knew he'd never really considered his association with the cast to be that big a deal. He wasn't incredibly close to them, in fact he'd only met them a few times when he had dropped in to see Blaine between shows on the odd Saturday when he wasn't busy marking work or planning lessons, but he did know them. And that seemed to be enough.

* * *

"Do you remember… that time we managed to get through a whole school day just by saying movie quotes?" Thad asked as he gazed out across Madison Square Park with a reminiscent smile. Blaine, who was sat beside him, let out a shout of laughter at the memory; the two of them had done pretty well up until lunch break, by which point they started quoting random movies even if they had nothing to do with their situation.

"Sir, yes sir!" Blaine chuckled and raised his hand in salute, Thad laughing at the gesture.

"Full Metal Jacket," He stated.

"You know it," Blaine grinned back. After meeting up at Thad's apartment in Kips Bay that morning, the ex-Dalton boys had spent the morning wandering around as they recalled back memories from their school days, teasing each other over embarrassing anecdotes and laughing through the streets, ignoring the odd looks they got from passers-by. By the time they'd reached Madison Square Park they'd decided to take their weight off their feet, and they'd been sat on the same bench for nearly an hour.

"I can't believe Wes made us watch that," Thad grinned with a shake of his head. "What was it he said to us? 'You'll love it, boys! It's full of soldiers! You guys like soldiers, right?' Such a stereotype," he shook his head again, laughing at the memory of Wes suggesting films for them once he'd found out they were both gay.

"It was even worse when he suggested Brokeback Mountain in twelfth grade," Blaine reminded him with a chuckle. Thad agreed that it had been rather embarrassing; the film had only just come out and so Wes had thought he was in with a winner. That was until Blaine and Thad had informed him they'd both already seen it.

"God, can you imagine if either of us had to deal with him on our own?" Thad asked.

"Doesn't even bear thinking about," Blaine retorted quickly, trying not to imagine having to deal with the full extent of Wes' teasing by himself, and Thad chuckled in agreement. A comfortable silence settled between them as they both smiled at memories from their school years; the blue blazers, the pranks, and the birthplace of their friendship.

* * *

"Shelby, I don't think I can just ask the _whole cast_ to come down here and teach-"

"Of course you can!" Shelby exclaimed brightly, hopping out of her desk chair and moving over to Kurt excitedly. "It's not like we're asking them to quit the show or anything," she smiled sweetly as she explained, "We'd just be… offering them an opportunity." She took his hands in hers as she knelt next to his chair, her smile never faltering. "Kurt, just _imagine_ it; you and Blaine working _together_! Wouldn't that be fantastic?" Kurt considered it for a few seconds; he knew Blaine wanted to teach – he'd said so himself – but he really_ didn't_ know the rest of the cast that well yet and he wasn't quite sure how any of them would take it. He was genuinely concerned when the idea of Richard or Wes teaching a class of college students entered his mind, knowing from stories Blaine had told him that the duo were renowned for their pranks around the theatre. Sunshine and Quinn seemed sane enough from the brief encounters he'd had with them and by the sounds of it this Nick Duval kid was pretty nice, too. And as much as he hated to admit it, Kurt was sure that Santana's sass could be useful to whip a few of his students into shape.

"I…" Kurt glanced back at his boss, her hazel eyes shining with enthusiasm, before glancing over her shoulder to Jonathan who simply shrugged with a smile at Kurt's silent pleas for his intervention. "I'll think about it…" he told Shelby warily, wincing when she let out an excited squeal right next to his ear. She jumped up, dropping Kurt's hands as she did so, and might as well have skipped back to her desk she was bouncing so much.

"Okay, so, Kurt why don't you go and get ready for your class and call that _amazing_ boyfriend of yours while Jonathan and I finish up in here?" Kurt looked to Jonathan, who gave a resigned smile, before slowly standing from his chair and leaving the room.

* * *

Blaine glanced around the park, smiling at the children with their parents and the tourists admiring the statue of Admiral David Farragut that stood across the park from where they sat. The scene was all too familiar, and not just because Blaine had been here a few times. The last time Blaine had been here had been the morning Kurt had told Thad their relationship had reached its end. "I was here, y'know," Blaine spoke before he'd even considered saying anything, surprising both himself and Thad. They looked at each other, Thad with a questioning glance. Blaine sighed and sat up straighter. "That morning, when Kurt… y'know," Thad's frown cleared and he turned to gaze out across the park again. Blaine fell silent again, cursing himself for even bringing up the subject.

"I don't blame you, Blaine," Thad's voice was calm as he kept his gaze out across the park, "For what happened. I know it wasn't your fault; Kurt and I just weren't meant to be. And let's face it," he looked to his friend, who was gazing up at him and hanging onto his every word, "You and Kurt are meant to be together." Blaine smirked up at his friend; Thad had always been more of a hopeless romantic than he let on.

"Really?"

"Of course you are!" Thad laughed, finding it unbelievable that Blaine didn't see what he saw. "You were childhood friends, and after all these years-"

"Sixteen years," Blaine interjected, his chest fluttering as he remembered Kurt doing the same thing to him.

"After all these _sixteen_ years," Thad corrected, "You've found each other again. If _that_ isn't a sign you two belong together, I don't know what is." He smiled warmly at Blaine, who by now was doing everything he could to keep his cheeks dry.

"Thanks, Thad," he whispered, not trusting his voice not to tremble if he spoke any louder, and Thad put an arm around his shoulder to pull him in for a sideways hug.

"Don't mention it," Thad smiled as he pulled his arm away. "And I should really thank you,"

"What?" Blaine blinked blankly at him, confused. "Why?"

"Because, if things between me and Kurt hadn't… gone the way they had, I might not have met Joshua," A smile grew on Thad's lips as he looked down to the floor, a small blush creeping onto his cheeks. Blaine gaped at him, a grin slowly growing on his face.

"Joshua, eh?" he nudged Thad with his shoulder, making his friend laugh.

"Yeah," Thad blushed a little deeper, "I met him when I was up at Jen's place; how ironic is it that my sister's homophobic husband's boss is gay?" he smirked, waggling his eyebrows slightly. They spent the next few minutes talking about Joshua, with Thad telling Blaine all about how they met at the supermarket and the sweet, delicious moment that had been realising who Joshua was to his homophobic brother-in-law. "I know it's cheesy, but… Moulin Rouge was _so_ right."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you know the quote, Blaine!" Thad grinned. "You _love_ that film," Thad gave him a meaningful look and Blaine's cheeks coloured slightly. "C'mon, I'll start you off," Thad offered, "'The greatest thing you'll ever learn…'" Thad prompted and gestured with his hand for Blaine to carry on, which he did with a grin.

"'Is just to love, and be loved in return'," Blaine finished with a grin, "You're right, I _do_ love that film," they grinned at each other before settling back into a comfortable silence. Blaine glanced at his watch; he and Thad had been walking and talking for over two hours, and Blaine had a feeling they wouldn't be stopping any time soon. "Fancy a coffee?"

Thad looked up from where he'd been gazing at the floor and shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure," Together, the two friends rose from their bench and started towards an exit of the park. "You know…" Thad began after they had been walking for a few seconds, "I see dead people." Blaine couldn't help the snort of laughter that followed.

"Sixth Sense," he muttered with a sidelong glance and a grin in Thad's direction.

* * *

**I love the bits with Thad and Blaine in this chapter. I'm going to try and keep the movie quoatations thing going for the next few conversations between them, so if you have any ideas for ones they could use (or if you think it will get annoying) please let me know :) Also, as you can see this chapter doesn't have a title, nor did the last one or chapter 28, so if anyone has any ideas let me know :)**

******I know this chapter was a little shorter than others in this story, but hopefully I'll be able to make it up to you all with another chapter in the near(-ish) future!**

**I hope we'll be seeing each other again soon! Much love to every single one of you! **

**Amy xxxxxxxxxxxxx**


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